Unseen, Unheard, Unfelt
by Silver Leafx
Summary: A Cubone who loses it when she has sugar, a Growlithe that has to mark its territory everywhere, the laziest Magicarp ever to swim, a gender-defying Dodrio, and a Bulbasaur who is more like a Totodile than anything. No wonder Sophie thinks she's insane.
1. Prologue: A Bite in the Butt

_**Prologue: A Bite in the Butt**_

* * *

Life... is chaos. Everyone knows it. The unpredictability is practically predictable, yet it still manages to creep up on you and bite when you least expect it. There is not one person that can beat the system- Kicking the bucket really is just giving up, not winning. So, while one remains conscious on this planet, they're in a constant battle to stop insanity from overwhelming them. Those locked up in "safe houses" have either failed at that, or are one step away from beating the system.

Now, my life is made up of a series of cliches. Everyone goes on their journey, everyone aims to be the best and all that. Most actually do pretty well, even if they aren't part of the group that become Champions or Top-Coordinators. Actually, I'd say that only about two in every hundred really fail. Of course, that's going along with the whole "seventy three percent of all statistics are made up on the spot" deal (that number changes every time.) What am I saying? That in my world of ponytas and sunflora, there is almost no way to lose. I've been told so many times that "There is almost no real danger," no need to walk that "middle road" that "they" talk about.

As if that could ever be real. There are handfuls of rabid ponyta in this little "safe" world. They run around and bite people in the butt when they aren't looking and vanish as quickly as ghosts, leaving a festering wound that won't go away until you get medical attention. By the time you actually figure out you're infected, it's rather late in the game.

But if that ever happens, no worries, because after all, you aren't ever in any real danger, right? Right.


	2. Chapter 1: A Brown Speckled Egg

**_Chapter One: A Brown Speckled Egg_**

* * *

The first thing people say when I tell them I don't live with my parents is, "Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry." Of course, then I have to explain that they're traveling, not dead, which usually gets me off the wrong foot with them. Honestly, I think I really need to clarify myself when telling people that I live with my aunt. Or I can just let them deal with it. Which I prefer to do.

That's me, Lavender Town's one and only sarcastic and cynical black belt, Sophie Ng. Yeah, it's pronounced just how it looks. Impossible to yell, and funny to watch as people try to do just that. But why dwell on names when my story is far more interesting. I know that doesn't sound plausible, but guess what, it is. So sit back, relax, and gasp at all the right parts.

When I was eight, my parents decided that they needed to travel. Not just for a week or two, try a few years. Naturally, I was bothered by this. That was, until they told me I would be staying with my aunt and cousin in Lavender Town. That really changed how I looked at things. I was nearly shoving them out the door, yelling, "What are you waiting for? The boat doesn't wait for everybody!" You can probably guess that I loved my cousin and aunt more than almost anything. After all, there aren't that many people in the world that you can get drunk on milk with. Yup, he and I were closer than a cluster of Magneton, and I'm proud to say it.

Upon my arrival in the Grave-site of Pokémon (though no one told me about that nick name until I had lived there a year or so) Eric, my cousin, and I yelled and screeched, running around in a frenzy. We didn't calm down until my aunt said,

"Sophie, don't you want to say good bye?" The moment she said that, I froze. I flung myself at my parents legs and hugged them tightly.

"Bye bye mommy. Bye bye daddy. I'm going to miss you." They smiled at me.

"We're going to miss you too, dear." I looked up at them.

"Will you bring me back a rare pokémon?"

"Of course. It's the least we can do." My mom had a far off look in her eyes that I knew for her examining the breeding prospects of a species.

"Yay!" I jumped up and down, clapping my hands.

"What about me?" Eric said, a little put out. "I want one too!" The adults laughed.

"Sure, little man. What would you say to a Bagon?" Now Eric was jumping up and down.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Sophie, did you hear? I'm getting a Bagon!" I thought about this, and was about to retort when my dad put his hand on my shoulder.

"There is something that you have to do for us." He spoke softly in my ear.

"Sure, daddy!" I said, full of the innocence and ignorance that was the trademark of small children.

"Promise me that you won't go on your journey until you are thirteen." My face fell.

"But daddy..." His face was dead serious.

"Promise me." My face twisted with confusion and disappointment.

"Okay... I-I promise." My dad smiled.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me." I sighed and looked down at my feet, knowing that there was no way I would be able to go back on my promise.

"Bye." My parents gave me one last hug and left, frequently looking back at my sad figure. Eric grabbed my arm. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"Let us drown our sorrows, putting them behind us til the morrow!" He almost sang. A smile cracked my face.

"That was poetic! Did you make that up?" He gave me an exasperated look.

"Of course not. I'm not that funny speaking." We giggled and broke out in a race to be the first to grab a glass of milk.

Later that week, there was a knock at the front door.

"Eric, will you get that for me?" My aunt yelled from the shower.

"Refuse." I whispered mischievously in his ear. He paused, but shook his head.

"She's baking brownies today." And of course, that made all the difference. Eric opened the door and squealed, "Mr. Fuji!" And left the doorway to give the old man a hug. I could hear him chuckle from my position on the living room's couch.

"Is Sophie here? I have something for her." I could only assume that Eric nodded, as a second later his head popped around the door frame.

"Sophie! Get your butt over here!" I sprang from the couch and ran join Eric.

"Hello, mister." I gave him one of my sensei bows. He gave another chuckle, saying,

"No need for such formalities. My name is Mr. Fuji, and I take care of pokémon." I nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, Eric said something about you." Mr. Fuji bowed his head slightly.

"Ah, has he really? Well, I just came because I heard that you aren't going to leave on your pokémon journey until you are thirteen." The corner of my mouth twisted downward. It was still a sore subject for me. He looked alarmed. "Oh my. I'm sorry. Did I say something...?" This he directed at Eric, who whispered quite audibly,

"She didn't want to wait, but she promised her parents."

"I see. Well, young Sophie. It is quite admirable of you to respect your parents wishes like that." At his praise I perked up.

"Really?"

"Of course. You are a very moral character. But that is getting off topic. I thought that since you would have to wait so much longer, you might as well have a pokémon friend to get some practice in." Mr. Fuji rummaged in his knapsack and pulled out a cream and brown speckled egg. He presented it to me, and I took it in awe.

"Thank you, mister. Do you know... Do you know when it will hatch?" I looked up at him, my excitement peaking.

"In a day or two. If you listen closely, you may be able to hear it moving." I put my ear to the shell, and gasped when I heard a small tapping noise. He gave another of his kind smiles. "I'd best be off now. Take good care of the pokémon, Sophie. I'm counting on you." And he hobbled off down the cobbled road. Eric and I exchanged glances, and at once we yelled,

"Awesome!" And ran into the house, with me carefully cradling the precious egg in my arms. As Eric yelled excitedly to my aunt about what happened, I placed the egg in a bundle of blankets by my room's heater. A day later, Rui the Cubone was born.

* * *

Years passed. Now, it was the day after my thirteenth birthday, when Eric would fly Rui and me to Pallet Town. I leaned against the outside wall of the house, my eyes flicking everywhere, turned deep gold in the sunlight. I had changed a lot in the past five years, my brown-black hair pulled back in a perpetual ponytail, my face giving off a constant feel of "don't mess with me." I fidgeted again, my dark purple sleeveless hoodie rubbing against the white adobe. Nervously, I passed my hands along the thick belt at my waist, which had pockets for anything I could imagine, but I couldn't feel much. My hands were cased in white, fingerless gloves. Rui stood by my feet, twirling her bone casually in one hand, occasionally tossing it into the air. _How can she be so calm all the time?_ I wondered, looking past my wrapped ankle at her. She glanced back up at me and winked. I sighed through my nose and pressed my head into the wall, hands finding their way into my black shorts pockets, made of a lightweight, synthetic material.

Wings flapped from above, and I glanced up, relieved. Eric had just returned from a warm up flight. They landed in front of us, and Eric hopped off, grinning at me.

"Ready?" I nodded, mouth dry. "Said good bye to mum?" At this I rolled my eyes and loosened up.

"Oh, oops. I forgot. How silly of me." I drawled. He flashed another smile.

"Nice to know you haven't lost your sarcasm over night." I rolled my eyes again.

"Let's just go." Rui tapped my arm, and I knelt to let her scramble up onto my shoulder. She gripped my ponytail tightly as I approached the large Fearow. He cocked his head, sizing me up. I placed a hand firmly on the side of his head and whispered in its ear. "Don't even consider dumping me."

"Row!" The bird cawed raucously. I grimaced, and pulled myself onto his back, Eric leaping up to sit in front of me. He looked at his new pokétch pointedly and said,

"Now what time are we supposed leave?" I laughed.

"Boy, don't even try to be subtle." He smiled.

"Alright, try this: I got a pokétch, and you hadn't heard of them until I told you!" I scowled.

"Just get us to the Lab."

"You didn't answer my question." Eric said smugly. I ignored him.

"Fearow! Use Fly!" I said. Fearow lifted off the ground, flapping huge wings.

"Wah! Sophie! What are you doing?" I grinned at him.

"Fearow and I had a little chat." To the bird I said, "Pallet Town, if you please." He gave another of his ear splitting caws and turned West. Eric turned back to me.

"I wish you wouldn't do that." I looked at him innocently, fooling neither of us.

"What? It's not my fault that they respect me more than you." He snorted.

"As if! At least I don't-" I held up a hand.

"Hold it. There's this irritating buzzing noise."

"Argh! Why-"

"There it goes again! I wonder where its coming from." I grinned as he smacked himself in the forehead.

"Fine. I'll shut up." We were passing over Saffron City now, and it was filled to the brim with pedestrians in suits and ties. More to myself than anyone else, I asked,

"I wonder how much guano a Fearow can drop." Eric shuddered and said, forgetting his previous statement,

"Too much." I raised an eyebrow

"Sounds like you know from experience." He looked me in the eye.

"And that is one experience you will never find out about." I shrugged, evil plans already formulating in my head. Fearow banked, turning South, flying over mountains and forests to Pallet Town.

* * *

***Author's Note* I apologize for the long delay, school was keeping me really busy. J. Whitnee is writing another side of the story, so make sure you check that out (I, for one, really like it.) I didn't use any OCs in this chapter, but I can guarantee they will either be in the next or the one after that, depending on how I split the chapters. Well, I hope you review and tell me what you think (how can I make it better otherwise?)**


	3. Chapter 2: The Carnivorous Flower

_**Chapter Two: The Carnivorous Plant

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**_

When we arrived in front of the laboratory, there was already a crowd of young adventurers gathered by the doors. From this, I gathered that they were locked, and I joined the excited throng of people. Most of them were ten, though there was the occasional teenager. I could see a boy with long, black hair flirting with a group of girls, who were giggling stupidly, thinking he was serious. I called over to Eric,

"Hey, Mr. Pokétch, what time is it?" He rolled his eyes at the nickname, but responded.

"Five 'til." I sighed and looked over the heads of the crowd to the smooth doors. Most people would be thinking, "I've waited this long, so a few more minutes wouldn't kill me" but all that was going through my head was, _Come on... Come on... Come on..._ Rui seemed just as anxious, shifting her weight repeatedly. Half the people let out a gasp, and my head shot up. But it wasn't the doors that opened, it was the gorgeous Rapidash, galloping towards the lab. Three people sat on its back, obviously sisters with their dark complexions. The front two looked to be the same age, while the one in the back was the younger one, most likely the one they were going to drop off. The horse came to a halt, tossing its fiery mane. People "oh"ed at the incredible sight. The youngest girl dismounted, and landed on her butt with a loud thump, ruining the sight and causing the crowd to laugh. The girl giggled and stood up, blushing a little through light brown skin. Her sisters exchanged looks of "here we go again" and dismounted far more gracefully than their sibling. A small smile curled my lips as I turned back to people watching. No one really caught my eye. I exhaled loudly and turned back to Eric.

"What time is it now?"

"What are you, some little kid?" He looked at me funny.

"Yes. I mean no." I glared at him when he smirked. "Just give me the time."

"One minute left to go." Naturally, that triggered the counter in my brain. _One... Two... Three..._ As I began the count to sixty. He muttered something that sounded a lot like,

"Well, that's Sophie for you..." This interrupted me.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" I snapped, enjoying our usual "arguments".

"Huh? What? I didn't say anything." He said, despite the smirk. I snorted, and began counting again.

"Right..." I trailed off. He muttered again,

"Am I the only mature one here?" I looked at him in sheer disbelief.

"Has hell frozen over yet, boy?" He opened his mouth to retort when there was a hiss and the doors of the lab slid open. Silence fell at once. A man in a lab coat came striding out, looking around the assembled group.

"Ah." He cleared his throat. "Glad to see you all here on this most pleasant day. I am Professor Oak as some of you may know." From the crowd there were scattered 'Mm-hm's'. "I suppose I shouldn't keep you waiting-" I clamped down hard on my tongue to stop a _Damn right._ From escaping. "-So I need to ask you all to enter calmly and quietly. The starters are all out in the pens. If you find the one you would like, please notify an assistant." The professor disappeared into the lab, with the group close on his tail.

Sterile white walls and humming machines dominated most of the space. At the back of the room, three large areas had been fenced off, keeping their inhabitants from getting out. Oak stood in the middle of the pens, and I walked over to him, Rui still keeping a solid hold on my six- inch ponytail. All around, kids were looking over at the prospective choices, debating with their neighbors about the best choice. Several people stood in front of me, already engaging Oak in conversation. I stood and waited patiently for my turn. Suddenly, I became aware of something scrambling up onto my unoccupied shoulder. A Sandshrew was eying Rui, trying to get her attention. I glanced at it and then around the room, looking for the creature's owner.

"Sandshrew! Get back here!" The boy I had seen flirting earlier was now running toward me. He stopped abruptly at the sight of me. "Oh, hello beautiful." I snorted and rolled my eyes. Carefully, so as not to disrupt Rui, I put my head behind my head, as though to scratch it, and flexed my muscles, making sure that he knew not to mess with me. It looked like he got the message. "Er..." I plucked the Sandshrew off my shoulder and held it out to him. He looked at me and took the creature, something like respect in his eyes. Sandshrew chattered and pointed at Rui. It was obvious that he didn't want to leave her. I turned back to Oak, who was now finishing up his conversation with another trainer. I stepped forward and said, quickly,

"Hello, sir. I'm Sophie Ng, from Lavender Town. I already have my pokémon, as you see, and I all I need is a pok- Ouch!" I yelped as something clamped firmly onto my leg. I looked down, and was shocked to see that a Bulbasaur had bitten down onto my leg. I tried to unclasp its jaws, "Urg!" I grunted as the plant pokémon flatly refused to let go. "Get... Off..." It still gripped me tightly, so strongly that even my hard muscles couldn't budge it. I looked pleadingly at Oak, who looked like he was trying to hide a smile.

"Need help?" He asked.

"Oh no." My sarcasm was kicking in again. "I just have a bulb attached to my leg that I can't get off. No big deal." The professor sighed and took out what I presumed to be the creature's pokéball.

"Bulbasaur, return." It glowed red and was sucked into the ball. Oak handed it wordlessly to me. I stepped back.

"There is no way that I'm going to take that." He raised an eyebrow.

"And there is no way that I'm going to keep her. Either take her and the pokédex, or neither. It's your choice." I scowled again, and took the pokéball, handling it like it was a live wire, and placed it in my belt. Oak smiled. "Thank you very much. Now, you need your pokédex." He turned to the table behind him and reached into a box, procuring a shiny red pokédex. I took it with a very sarcastic,

"You are _quite_ a generous person. I thank you from the very bottom of my very large heart." And shoving the device in my belt pouch, I wheeled around to leave. A few steps from the doors, someone grabbed my shoulder. I turned, half expecting Oak to be there, willing to take the thing back. But it was the boy with the Sandshrew, who was still looking at Rui. "Can I help you?" I drawled.

"Um... Yeah. Sandshrew just won't leave me alone about your Cubone. I need to ask if I can travel with you." My anger dissipated, and I sighed, more exhausted than anything else.

"Yeah, that's fine. Just a couple things. One, no flirting, and two, don't expect me to pay for you." He grinned, and I was taken aback by just how cute he was. I shoved that out of my head and said, business-like, "Good. You have your pokédex?" He nodded, saying quickly,

"Sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Seth. Seth Corrals." Seth held out his hand to shake mine.

"Sophie Ng. Don't say anything." I added swiftly as soon as he looked about to question my name. "It really is Ng."

"Ng..." He said, wondering at the pronunciation. "Cool..."

"Glad you think so." I said, sarcastically, and turned to leave the building, but once again I was interrupted.

"WAAAIIIT!" The girl who had fallen off the Rapidash came running up to us, tripping and landing on top of me. "Sorry!" She giggled, her red lollipop shirt sparkling a little. "That happens a lot." I grunted and got to my feet, helping her up.

"What can I do for you?" My patience, admittedly, was wearing thin. She laughed nervously.

"Well, my name is Candi- er Candace Isra. I need someone to travel with." Her eyes were wide and innocent, fearing rejection.

"Of course! How can anybody say no to such a gorgeous face?" Seth had stepped in. She giggled again.

"You mean it? Thanks." At this point I had no idea if she was talking about coming with us, or Seth's flirtations. "Come on! Let's go!" And she ran smack into the sliding doors. I looked up at the sky. _Oh, Mew. What have I done?

* * *

_

***Author's Note* Well, I hope you enjoyed. Bulbasaur has now joined the team. Candi belongs to Pokestarr and Seth to Money Stax, and a special thank you to them for submitting such unique characters! I'm still accepting OCs, and I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Keep them coming (I don't care if you hate it). I know that a lot of you are a bit shy about reviewing. Don't be. I don't bite(like a certain Bulbasaur I could mention...) Anyway, that's all until next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 3: Electric Wool

_**Chapter Three: Electric Wool

* * *

**_

The three of us were walking the couple miles to Viridian, Seth and Candi flirting playfully between pathetic trainer battles (fear my pidgey!). I groaned. How monotonous. They were lagging about twenty feet behind me. Unconsciously, my fingers brushed against the Bulbasaur's pokéball, and an idea to break the monotony formed instantly. I unhooked the pokéball and tossed it ten feet away, in front of my companions. Bulbasaur appeared in a flash of red light.

"Bulba!" She squealed, and I quickly said,

"Bulbasaur, bite them." To be honest, the look of happiness on her face at that command was frightening. She barreled toward Seth and bit his arm.

"AH!" He yelled, flailing his arms wildly, trying to dislodge the pokémon. "Get it off me!" His face was priceless. I keeled over, laughing so hard tears fell from my eyes. I heard the unmistakable thump of Bulbasaur's feet. I stopped laughing.

"Oh crap." I blanched as she bit on my leg happily. "Um... Good girl, I guess?"

"Saur." Was the muffled reply.

"Wanna let go?" I asked.

"Bul!"

"Please?"

"Bul!" I sighed, and began walking with her on my leg, and a very pissed off Seth behind me.

"Why did you do that?" He moaned, massaging his arm.

"What did I say about flirting?" I looked straight at him, and he fidgeted.

"Well..."

"Don't worry too much about it, just remember that next time, it won't be your arm." Seth gulped, and pulled back. Five minutes later, I heard him groan,

"How much farther?" I gritted my teeth. Bulbasaur had just bitten down even harder.

"You'll know when we get there." There was a popping noise. I glanced behind me and saw Candi chewing happily on a piece of bubble gum. She grinned, stumbling a little.

"Want some?"

* * *

As soon as Viridian appeared, relief was an understatement. I gave Seth some money to pay for my room.

"Will you book some hotel rooms? I need to... train Bulbasaur." There was no argument from either of them. They both knew that Bulbasaur needed some work. I strode to the Viridian Forest, and entered the dark cluster of trees. Patchy sunlight littered the ground, bathing the forest in a heavy green glow. Holding back a sneeze, I looked around for a likely place to train. Caterpies and Weedles inhabited nearly all the leaves, but what good would come from battling a bug no larger than my forearm? I continued my walk through the forest, senses attuned to anything that might be worth battling.

"Pi-pi!" I looked up to see a Pidgey flying above. A Pidgey... I would need a bird pokémon to fly once I got the third Gym badge. Hesitation was not something that occurred. I ran after it. It didn't fly far, its stubby wings tiring after a hundred yards, settling down in a large clearing. I moved silently forward, pulling a out a pokéball. When I was in range, I tossed the ball. To watched it carefully as it soared up in the perfect trajectory to hit the Pidgey. But it never did. Something collided with it and knocked it aside. Another pokéball had knocked mine out of the air. I growled as the pokéball returned to my hand. Stiffly, I stood and marched into the clearing. I needed to have a chat with whatever idiot ruined my chances at getting the bird. It looked as though the numbskull had the same idea. A girl of about my age strode out, short brown hair swishing angrily around her face. I looked down at her, glad of my height.

"You idiot!" I yelled. "What were you thinking? You knocked my pokéball right out of the air!" She glared.

"I could say the same about you!" She snapped.

"Of all the one's you had to catch, why that one?" I snarled. "Or was it just the perfect one?" She snorted.

"You make me sound like an airhead."

"Oh my. How silly of me. How could I possibly mistake you for one?" My day with my new companions hadn't made me feel the best. Her eyes narrowed.

"Oh, you..." She suddenly spotted Bulbasaur, who still had my leg between her jaws. She started to laugh loudly. "No... No wonder you couldn't... You couldn't..." She choked. "Hopeless..." She wheezed. I gave her my best demon glare and whispered to Bulbasaur,

"Bite her." She wasn't laughing for long.

"Ack! Ouch!" She hopped up and down frantically, unable to dislodge her. In the mean time, the Pidgey cocked its head at us curiously, wondering what the fuss was about. Shrugging, it hopped away toward the exit of the clearing. I noticed this, and pulled out my pokéball again. The girl saw what I was looking at and growled, "Oh no you don't." We looked at each other, and immediately started to run for the Pidgey. Halfway across the clearing, something red and white hit me squarely in the jaw.

"What? What?" I twisted around, looking for the jerk that threw the ball at me.

"What happened?" The girl had stopped too, and was looking around confusedly as well. Too late we heard the flutter of wings, for when we looked around, the Pidgey was gone. I sighed, and realized that Bulbasaur was still biting the girl's leg. I pulled out her pokéball and said,

"Bulbasaur, return." She managed a disappointed,

"Saur." She managed before getting sucked into the sphere. I steadied myself, and said anxiously,

"Are you o-"

"What in the world were you two imbeciles doing, blocking our pokéball like that?" Snooty and arrogant, that voice set me off again.

"We didn't block it. You threw it at us." I snapped at the two figures who now emerged from the trees. A tall, sandy blond and what looked like her little brother glared at us.

"Why in the world would we want our pokéball touching the likes of you?" She sneered.

"Why would we want your pokéball to touch us?" The girl next to me retorted.

"Why," The boy began. "Don't we settle this with a battle." The girl and I said in unison,

"Ha. You're on!"

"The rules will be... One pokémon at a time. We get first move." The boy continued. I was about to yell at him about the unfairness, but the girl whispered to me,

"It won't matter if they get the first move. We'll still beat them." I smirked.

"You know, you don't sound air-headed at all."

"I should hope so." She muttered, then yelled, "Go! Mareep!" She tossed a pokéball and a sparking sheep materialized.

"Ma-ar!" It bleated, pawing the ground.

"Rui! Take 'em out!" I said, nodding to her. She flipped off my shoulder, twirling her bone and growling. Our opponents just smiled patronizingly.

"Try this for size. Roselia!" The girl tossed a pokéball in the air, and a plant emerged, showing off its vicious thorns.

"Rattata!" The boy yelled, and I had to try hard not to laugh at the purple rat that came out. The girl looked at him with exasperation.

"Why that one, Ryan?"

"Because Squirtle would get fried by that thing!" He gestured at Mareep. "I know my type disadvantages, Aris."

"Fine." The girl named Aris snorted. She looked over at Rui evilly. "Roselia, Absorb!" Without thinking, I yelled,

"Rui, dodge and Bonemerang!" She leaped into the air and threw her bone, hitting the Roselia's head with a loud thwack. It blinked, dazed, as the tendrils of green energy it had shot vanished. It recovered quickly though and sent needles flying at Rui. She landed on the ground, more than a little unstable, and I knew there was no way she could dodge the attack this time. "Block!" I yelled furiously. Most of the needles shattered into her bone, but others found their way around the weapon. I gulped. Nothing I could do. The needles flew straight at her, only to snap upon hitting her skull helmet and torso. I mentally kicked myself. Of course, poison moves do hardly any damage against ground. Oops.

The Mareep to my left was having its own problems. Ryan's Rattata was darting left and right, and the sheep was unable to get a fix on it. It bleated with irritation as the lightweight body of the rat hit its side. The continued Quick Attacks were wearing the Mareep down. The girl was looking worried.

"Thunder Wave!" The Mareep fired a bolt of electricity, only to have it dodged again. She cursed under her breath. "Mareep, use Charge." The sheep stood still, charging electricity until her wool was crackling viciously. "Wait for it..." She muttered. The Rattata darted forward once again. It hit her in the flank, causing her to grunt, but this time the Rattata didn't dart away. It lay on the ground, motionless. Paralyzed. I smiled. This girl wasn't half bad. The sound of Aris yelling,

"Absorb!" once again, brought me back to the battle at hand.

"Roll and Tackle!" I yelled. Rui fluidly dodged the tendrils and charged at the Roselia, leaping up into the air to come down right on top of one of its thorns. I scowled. The puncture wound was oozing steadily. "Come back, Rui. You did well." I sighed as Rui had to drag herself over, making a mental note to buy her a pokéball. Pulling out Bulbasaur's ball, I prayed to Mew that she would attack the opponent, rather than me. "Go! Bulbasaur!" I shouted, and watched carefully as she appeared.

"Saur!" She attempted a roar, which didn't turn out that well.

"Bite them!" I said, reveling in the look of confusion Ryan and Aris gave me.

"Ba!" And she bit down firmly on Roselia's flower.

"Lia!" It shrilled, and tried to shake her off. Wow. Everyone has that reaction. I thought, amused.

"Vine whip!" I yelled, and watched as vines shot out of the bulb and lashed out at Roselia. It shrieked, confused as it had hits coming from all sides and a Bulbasaur hanging onto its flower. "Now, Leech Seed!" A cloud of seeds spouted from the bulb and descended on the flower pokémon. There wasn't immediate gratification.

"Poison Sting!" Aris shouted, getting over the shock of seeing a Bulbasaur biting things.

"Release and Vine whip!" I shouted, as Roselia prepared to throw the needles. She obliged, if not somewhat unhappily, and took a defensive stance. Needles flew and vines intercepted their flight path, knocking them from the air. The sun beat down into the clearing, not helping my already sweaty palms.

"Solar Beam!" Aris yelled, and I froze. That little witch must have bought a TM. I couldn't let her use it.

"Bulbasaur! Tackle and bite her head! Don't let it see sunlight!"

"Saur!" She "roared" and flew at the basking Roselia. Its yells were muffled by Bulbasaur's mouth, and the effects of Leech Seed were finally kicking in. Aris yelled, her fancy clothes marred by sweat.

"Roselia! Use Poison Sting, Absorb, anything!" She was frantic. The Roselia went still, knocked out by my oh-so-wonderful Bulbasaur.

"Bulba?" She said, confused as her biting toy disappeared in red light. "Basaur, bul?"

"Come here." I said.

"Ba!" She flung herself wildly at me, biting down onto her usual piece of my calf. I winced.

"Good job?" It came out like a question. I rummaged in my medicine pouch and procured a potion. Kneeling down beside Rui, I murmured, "Okay, this ought to feel good." And even lower, "I hope." I gently sprayed the medicine over her body, and immediately I got results. The large puncture was sewing itself back up, with not even a scar remaining. She sat up, refreshed and looking like there was hell to pay. I laughed softly. "Ready to kick ass?" I asked her.

"Bone!" She snarled.

"Go Squirtle!" Ryan's voice filled the clearing, and I smirked. So Mareep had taken down the Rattata. Excellent.

"Aipom, make my time worth it!" The monkey appeared in front of Rui, taunting her in pokéspeak.

"Do I even need to tell you what to do?" I asked Rui.

"Cubo!" And really, her roar was a whole lot more frightening than Bulbasaur's. She leapt forward, and assaulted him with a flurry of hits and kicks that she must have learned while I was at the Dojo. The monkey was obviously taken off his guard by the sudden attack, but it recovered, blocking and jabbing with its tail. A hiss of breath came from the girl on my left. Her Mareep had been seriously injured from the battle before, and the well placed Bubble and Tackle combination from Squirtle had finished her. I was aware of her yelling,

"Go Vulpix!" before I turned back to my own fight.

"Aipom, use Snatch!" My eyebrows furrowed. The monkey swiftly grabbed Rui's bone, leaving her weaponless. Now, all that she had was Tackle and Growl. Not my favorite choice. I gritted my teeth. I hated being put in corners like this. Resigned, I gave the command,

"Tackle." As she flew through the air weaponless, a thought hit me. She had learned some kicks at the Dojo, then wouldn't it make sense if she learned the combinations as well? "Rui, abort and do whole body combination three!" This used a punch to the jaw while sweeping their legs from beneath, and before they fell, I would grab their wrist and toss them in the classic Judo Throw. Rui executed it perfectly. The Aipom didn't stand a chance against the fighting maneuvers, and flew up into the Squirtle's line of fire, blocking the Water Gun attack and allowing the Vulpix to dart in. Their last pokémon collapsed to the ground, knocked out. The girl and I exchanged glances.

"Yes!" We yelled, and hugged each other. Aris and Ryan were looking sour.

"I can't believe you would cheat like that." Aris said, high handed as ever. My jaw dropped.

"You would accuse us of cheating?" I said, shocked at the idiocy of it all.

"Hmph. It is the obvious conclusion to draw." She said, nose in air.

"Just because we won doesn't mean we cheated." The girl stepped forward. "After all, we didn't use TM's or anything like you did."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Aris said. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, come on! Don't be thick! Roselia doesn't learn Solar Beam on its own. I would have thought you would know that."

"Well, I would love to prove you wrong, but you are a waste of time. Come along, Ryan." She spoke loftily and strutted out of the clearing, little brother in tow. I rubbed my temples.

"What a bunch of-" And I trailed off into a series of swear words that made the girl uncomfortable. I turned back to her. "Sorry. I don't think you know my name. I'm Sophie Ng." I held out my hand.

"Kira." She said simply, and shook my hand.

"Eh... I'm sorry about earlier... I was kind of... You know..." I looked over sheepishly. "You aren't really bad at all." She smiled.

"It's fine. I hope you'll forgive me too." I nodded.

"Friends?" I asked. She grinned.

"Friends." I breathed out in relief.

"We should probably get back to Viridian, these girls need to get a check up." I nodded to Rui and Bulbasaur.

"Mine too. Erm... If you don't mind, what is wrong with your Bulbasaur?" I lifted my leg in front of me, seeing her still clamped firmly to me.

"To be honest, I have no idea."

* * *

***Author's Note* Wow, that was longer than I expected. I hope you liked the battle and all that. Anyway, if you want Kira's story, just go to "Belief at Dawn" by J. Whitnee. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have. I'm going to be introducing one more main character in the next few chapters, and maybe a rival (I don't know who its gonna be, so keep the OCs coming). The rest will be included somehow for minor parts. Review!**


	5. Chapter 4: Fancy Pokémon, Fancy Laptop

_**Chapter Four: Fancy Pokémon, Fancy Laptop

* * *

**_

Kira and I emerged from the forest, and a voice came to meet our ears,

"Kira, where have you been?" A dark haired boy of about seventeen came jogging over to meet us, a Riolu on his shoulder. He paused and looked at me. "Who are you?" Kira gave him a look.

"Be polite." I rolled my eyes.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Sophie. Sophie Ng."

"Yoshi." He said. "Kira, I wish you wouldn't run off like that."

"Sorry." She mumbled, looking at her feet.

"You could have gotten hurt, what if you fell and broke something, and I wouldn't be able to find you?" He continued on like this for a while, with her occasionally muttering a "Yes" or "I'm sorry". I felt awkward standing there, and I fidgeted. "- Going with strangers, what on Earth were you thinking? She looks like she can snap you in two!"

"Yeah, she probably can. But she didn't." I said, speaking in the third person.

"Exactly." Kira spoke louder this time. "She's really not that bad, Yoshi. And you shouldn't be talking about going off with strangers, should you?" He sighed in defeat.

"Sometimes I wish you weren't so trusting."

"Well, I have to get to the pokécenter." I announced. "Are you going to come, Kira?" She nodded.

"What hotel are you staying at? We need to book some rooms." I winced.

"I don't know, exactly. I kinda just gave Seth the money and let him do it."

"Seth?"

"A kid I'm traveling with. Yoshi, are you coming too?" He looked me over carefully, as though trying to assess if I was a teen assassin.

"Hm. I'll get Kira and I some rooms. You guys can get to a pokécenter." I dipped my head, and we began walking to town.

"I'll see if I can find -"

"SOPHIEEEEEE!" A red blur collided with me. "You took forever!" The unmistakable pop and smack of chewing gum made me say automatically,

"What's the hotel like?"

"It's pretty!" Candi clapped her hands. She noticed Kira and Yoshi. "OH! Who's this?"

"Candi, Kira and Yoshi. Kira and Yoshi, Candi." I said. Candi grinned,

"Want some gum?"

"Eh, okay!" Kira accepted the stick of bubble-gum from Candi, while Yoshi continued to look warily at her.

"Where's Seth?" I asked, half expecting her not to know.

"In his room. I think." She frowned slightly. "He might have said something about going out, but I don't remember."

"Right, do you have my room key?" Candi shook her head.

"Nope! Seth does." I sighed.

"Do you know what room he's in?"

"Um... I think it was either Room 108, 109, 110, or it might have been 201, 202-"

"Forget it. I'll ask the bell boy." I turned back to Kira, who was looking amused. "I guess we should head to the pokécenter. Yoshi, why don't you follow Candi. Huh? Candi? Where did she go?" I looked around in time to see her running off to a shop front, what looked like her Meowth in tow.

"Did I just hear her say, 'Pretty shiny thing'?" A bemused Kira asked. I raised my head to the sky.

"Arceus help me." I muttered, still looking for Candi. I spotted her by a trash can, frowning, holding up a piece of aluminum foil.

"But it looked so pretty." I distinctly heard her complain. Yoshi smirked.

"Does she even know where the hotel is?" I glared at him, oddly stung by how he insulted her.

"Yes." I stated firmly, but thought, _Holy crap, Arceus. Does she?_ He continued to smirk.

"Hm. We'll see about that."

"Candi!" I shouted, my voice carrying over the street. "Wanna get Yoshi to the hotel?" She looked up as I called her name. She gave one of her large smiles.

"Sure!" And came jogging back, tripping and falling on the curb. "Oof!" Despite her fall, her smile was still wide as ever. "I remembered the name!" Relief washed through me.

"Oh good. What is it?"

"The Viridian Inn." Her eyes shone happily. "Viridian Inn. It's fun to say! Vir-i-di-an Inn." She giggled and skipped off. "Come on dino boy and fancy pokémon! Vir-i-di-an Inn!" I smiled sadistically.

"Have fun." He left, giving me a look of complete exasperation. The moment he was out of eyesight, I turned to Kira. "Ready?" She nodded shortly, and we set off for the impressive glass structure of the Pokécenter.

The pink-haired nurse behind the counter greeted us with the practiced cheeriness of receptionists.

"Hello girls! What can I do for you and your pokémon on this wonderful day?" I was almost in pain from the "happiness".

"Just a check up for mine." I said, letting Rui climb over to the woman, and handing Bulbasaur's pokéball to her. "Careful. She bites." I said with relish, nodding to the ball. The nurse nodded.

"And what can I do for you, dear?"

"Just a basic healing, I guess." She said shyly, and I was taken aback. She wasn't like this when we first met. My lips twitched slightly. Then again, it wasn't exactly the same circumstances.

"Fabulous!" She almost squealed. "They'll be done within a half hour. Sit down and make yourselves at home!" A phalanx of Chansey emerged from the doors to aid the nurse in taking in the pokéballs, while idiotically chanting their names. Groaning lightly, I collapsed on one of the plush blue couches, unzipping my hoodie slightly to reveal the white tank-top underneath. Kira sat on the opposite end of the couch, far more daintily than I had. From the basket beside the couch I pulled the previous months' issue of _**Colosseum Monthly**_, and flipped it open. Kira noticed and said,

"Pass me a newspaper?" I raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering why she would want the newspaper of all things, but passed her the paper without a word. As I handed it over, I couldn't help notice the headline: **"Team Galactic, A New Threat?"** But, being who I am, didn't think twice about it, merely thinking, _Hmph. What a stupid name._ Kira too glanced at the headline, and as I had, dismissed it, instead opening to the comics. I shook my head slightly and went back to reading the magazine, waiting for the nurse to reemerge.

Fifteen minutes later the ever-smiling nurse (did she get plastic surgery to fix it that way? I thought off handedly) came out from between the doors, Chansey in tow.

"Hello again, dears! You pokémon are fully healed!" The Chansey gave us back our pokéballs, and let Rui through to me. "If your pokémon ever need help, don't hesitate to come to our center!"

"Like there's anywhere else to go." I muttered, hoping that no one heard.

"Thank you very much." Kira spoke, polite as ever.

"Thanks." I grunted, just waiting for that irritatingly sweet voice to say,

"You're very welcome. Ta-ta, dearies!" And we left, I fully ready to get to a hot shower and meal.

Outside, Kira looked at me.

"So, where is the Inn?" I balked, but covered it up quickly.

"It can't be hard to find. Viridian is hardly a Celadon or Saffron." Kira looked confused at the mention of Saffron. "Never mind. It isn't big, that's all." We began roaming the streets at random, looking for any signs that might show us the way. Within a few minutes she pointed to a large, wooden building that looked like a lodge one might find in the mountains.

"There." I read: **Viridian Inn: Bed and Breakfast of the Highest Quality. **

"Great." I said, visualizing a shower and the cheap shampoo that all hotels provide. We walked up to the door, and I opened it, almost expecting it to creak, like in a bad horror movie. Instead the well-oiled hinges moved smoothly against the frame-work, granting us a silent entry.

Despite appearances, the lobby was relatively modern, smooth glass coffee tables accented with steel statues and figurines against the green rug. At the other side of the room was a row of telephones with a privacy screen to block wandering eyes. Near them was the front desk, a cool, platinum colored steel with the latest computer designs. I took this in as I walked, and unbidden price figures appeared in my head. The woman at the desk was wearing a black, silver- pinstriped suit, with her red hair pulled into a painful looking bun. She pursed her lips as she took us in.

"May I help you?" She asked, more than a little cooly. I almost smiled. How refreshing to see someone like her after that... that nurse.

"Yes." I replied, making sure to look like I knew exactly what I was doing. "Could you tell me in what room Seth Corrals is staying?" The woman nodded, and her fingers moved silently over the keyboard. I waited and heard someone speaking from the telephone booth.

"Well, I need to go now. No, don't be ridiculous. I'm busy right now." Yoshi's voice was impatient, like he wanted to slam down the phone and exit the tiny space. "Whatever. Bye." The phone clicked on its hanger and he exited from the flap. Kira ran to him, asking the usual question of "Who was that?" The receptionist gave a quiet,

"Mm-hm! Here we are. Seth Corrals, Room 124." I inwardly moaned at how off Candi had been.

"Thank you. Is he in now?" She gave me a look of "How should I know where he is?" But said, still icily polite,

"Yes. I believe so."

"Thank you." And, on a whim, "Oh, you have some hair loose." The look of surprise and worry on her face was priceless. She whipped out a hand mirror and scowled when she saw that I had lied. "Sorry, my mistake." And I left before she could injure me.

"Do you do stuff like that to everyone?" Kira asked, trying desperately to smother giggles.

"Eh... Not really. It's only the people that have something I can mess with." I replied with a fiendish grin. Yoshi joined us as we approached the elevator.

"Someday, someone is going to lose it and attack you." I turned to face him as I pressed the up button.

"Which is why I'm a black belt."

"You'd think that you'd been planning this for a while now." He looked at me as if wondering if I was insane. I shrugged.

"Think what you will." And we all boarded the elevator. Pressing the button with "1" written elegantly upon it, I leaned against the back wall, wondering what tone-deaf maniac selected this elevator music. Rui was glancing up at the speakers and down to her bone, and back again, as though trying to judge the distance between the two. No one spoke for the short eight second ride. As the elevator doors opened once again, I stepped out. "So I'll see you two at dinner?" I asked. They nodded. We all knew that there was only one restaurant in this petite town.

"How does six-thirty sound?" Kira asked.

"What time is it now?" I pressed my hand against the doors to keep them from closing.

"Quarter 'til." Yoshi said.

"Sounds good to me." I replied, and allowed the doors to slide shut. My half-bare feet sank into the thick emerald carpet that covered the hall, and I glanced admiringly at the over-priced splatter paint pictures that decorated the walls. The artist was a genius. He was probably making millions in his villa in the Sevii Isles, whilst occasionally throwing paint at a canvas, to bring in even more money. Just how I wanted to retire. I paused in front of Room 124 and knocked, my toes still wrapping themselves around the luxurious carpet.

A tousle-haired Seth opened the door, yawning and blinking sleep from his eyes.

"Whaddya want? Oh. Hey Sophie."

"Yeah. Candi said you have my room key?" He looked at me sleepily for a second, then shuffled off to grab something on the desk.

"Here. I'm surprised she remembered." I smiled a little as I took the key.

"So am I." I gave him a piercing look, smile disappearing. "How much did you spend on the rooms?"

"Um... Everything you gave me?" I blinked furiously and passed my fingers over my ears.

"Did you just say... Everything?" I had given him enough money for three nights in any other hotel, and now that I thought about it, I wondered what I had been thinking. "So... Did you even consider going to another hotel?" I asked, praying for a hell of an excuse.

"Er... The other one was almost full, and Candi liked this one more." It didn't take a genius to figure out why.

"Probably something about shiny stuff, right?" Seth nodded glumly.

"She can be very... insistent..." He trailed off. "Anyway. I'm going back to sleep. You made us walk for such a long time." I rubbed my forehead.

"Yeah. _Such_ a long time. Dinner at six-thirty."

"Sleepy." He grumbled, and shut the door. Glancing at the key, I registered the numbers 125, and walked across the hall to my room. I unlocked the door and walked in, not bothering to look around, I dropped my belt and pokéball on the desk. Briefly, I considered letting Bulbasaur out, but decided against it. Last thing I wanted was to have to pay for something in here. Opening up one of the larger pockets of the belt, I searched for a change of clothes. But instead of clothes, I found a black cardboard box. Curious, I pulled it out and registered the canary yellow pecha berry on its surface. My heart skipped a beat. I flipped open the lid and froze. Inside was a brand new E-Poké laptop, used for item storage and all manner of other practical things. Not to mention it was portable to boot. Smiling, I read the note attached to the thirteen inch screen. **Happy Birthday Sophie!(We hope this makes up for the past five years!) Love, Mom and Dad.** I stroked the polished black surface of the computer. _Oh yes. This does make up for anything they ever have done or will do.

* * *

_

I emerged from the bathroom, smelling of the not-so-cheap soap the hotel had provided. Admittedly, I was wearing the same outfit as before, except these were clean. I sat at the desk chair and opened the laptop again, enjoying its soft whir as it booted up, displaying the yellow pecha berry once again. For the next ten minutes, I explored its features, shaking my head occasionally in wonder of it all. Now I wouldn't have to use the old PCs in the pokécenters that Eric was always complaining about. _Heh. Let's see what Mr. Pokétch thinks of this!_ I thought as I snapped the lid shut. I placed it back in the larger pouch of the belt before putting it on, clipping Bulbasaur's ball back into its place. _I really should name her. It is kind of unfair to be calling her that all the time. But what I really need is a pokéball for Rui._ Said pokémon had resumed her space on my shoulder. Pocketing the room key, I left for the restaurant.

The restaurant wasn't crowded, the only people I could see being some of the trainers from earlier today. I looked around, trying to see if Kira or the others where here yet. A flurry of movement caught my attention. Candi was waving furiously at me from a booth across the room. I slid into a space next to her and found myself across from Yoshi.

"Hey." I greeted everyone.

"SOPHIE!" Candi squealed and hugged me.

"Er..."

"Your hair smells good!" She continued.

"Thank you...?" I saw Yoshi mouth the words, "Have fun." I grimaced theatrically. Kira looked at Yoshi, wondering what he could have done to create my reaction. Seth looked on the brink of falling asleep. A bored looking waiter came over.

"Hello and welcome to- Oh, screw it. To drink?" Everyone placed their orders, and I suddenly wondered if I should stop Candi from drinking the sugary soda she had ordered. When the waiter left, I said,

"So... Kira, Yoshi. What are your plans for tomorrow?" Yoshi gave Kira a look.

"Pick up where we left off I suppose. Looking for the underground tunnel connecting the Forest to Celadon."

"What, you weren't able to make it today? Maybe you should have had Sophie with you. Then you would have had to make it, otherwise that thing she calls a Bulbasaur would attack you." Seth spoke up with his eyes closed, though I swear he smirked at me.

"I wouldn't put it past her to have something like that." Yoshi was so serious when he said it, I started to wonder if he did think I was whacked.

"Oh, come on, dino boy." I grinned at Candi's name for him. "Don't start judging me, you've only known me, what, two hours?"

"Three. I've been counting." The conversation continued along those lines until dinner was finished.

Afterwards, we stood in the lobby of the hotel, in front of the elevators.

"So, are we going to see you tomorrow?" I asked, keeping a close eye on Candi, who was straying dangerously close to one of the statues. Yoshi shrugged.

"Probably not. I want to get an early start, to make up for missed time." Kira looked guilty.

"Oh, okay then." We all boarded the elevator, pressing against the walls to give each other room. "Well, it was nice to meet you."

"Very nice." Seth winked at Kira, causing me to roll my eyes and Yoshi to scowl.

"Yeah. I hope we see each other again." Kira spoke as the elevator slowed to a halt.

"Same." I walked off the elevator.

"BYE BYE FRIENDS!" Candi hugged both so tightly they couldn't breath, then ran to her room. Seth meandered out, as cool as ever, casually waving at the pair.

"Later." And the doors slid shut with a clunk, carrying the two away. I stretched an arm over my head, wincing as it popped.

"Night, Seth." I said, overwhelmed with a sudden exhaustion.

"G'Night." He replied, and retired to his room. I passed Candi's room, her door already closed. I stopped in front of my door, and rummaged in my pocket for the key. Not finding it, I frowned, and checked the others. It wasn't there. Adrenaline banished my drowsiness, replacing it with an unwelcome feeling of panic. It wasn't in my hoodie, pockets, or belt pouches. My heart was beating unpleasantly, pumping out a quick, staccato beat. _Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno._ I cursed silently. Looking in the last pocket, I found the E-Poké. _Maybe I stored it in here by mistake..._ I thought, hoping against hope that was the case. I flipped it open, no longer enjoying the gentle boot-up sequence, wishing it would hurry up. My fingers flew over the keys, typing frantically. The Item Storage Browser was brought up, and I scrolled through the items, occasionally opening a corresponding folder. _I don't remember doing anything like this._ I grumped, as I opened the folder labeled, "Cards, Keys, etc." and let out a sigh of relief as the icon for the hotel key popped up, with the prompt, "Withdraw?" Clicking "Yes", I held my hand in front of the sensor as the card appeared in a flash of yellow light.

"Thank you for using E-Poké machines, we hope you enjoy-" I didn't bother to listen to the rest of the soft, digital voice's chatter, snapping the screen back down. Entering the room, I plugged the computer into the charger, thinking apprehensively, _I really don't remember- but no worries. Nothing else could have put the key in there. You're just tired. Look, you aren't even being sarcastic. You're even talking to yourself. Oh, shut up._ I flopped down on the soft mattress and closed my eyes. _Hm... Maybe I owe Seth an apology. This is really, really comfortable._ And I passed out.

* * *

_**A formless figure gazed through the pool of light at the girl on the bed. A mirthless smile curled its mouth. **_

**I expected no less._ The figure thought, and smashed the glassy puddle into a thousand shards. _Teenagers these days.

* * *

**

***Author's Note* Ah... Candi, Candi. What will we do with her? A big thank you to all who reviewed, and an even bigger on who read J. Whitnee's "Belief at Dawn". Sure, some of you may not read it because I'm telling you to, but you are missing out on a wonderful story. It's your choice, I'm done trying to influence you. **

**Haha, now the plot _really_ gets going. I'm sure that none of you believe it was "putting it in the PC by mistake". MUAHAHAHA! This is going to be fun...**

**I forgot to mention, Kira and Yoshi belong entirely to J. Whitnee, just as Sophie and Rui belong to me, and all OCs to their creators (to state the obvious). How ever! Pokémon does NOT under ANY circumstances belong to me. Yet.  
**

**And for the next chapter: There won't be any Gym battles or anything cool like that. Instead, you are going to find out what happens when a bulbasaur decides she needs a *unique* name. OCs still accepted.  
**


	6. Chapter 5: Bulbasaur Strikes Again

_**Chapter Five: Bulbasaur Strikes Again**_

* * *

I awoke to the light trill of a Spearow, sitting just outside the window panes. Awake instantly, I looked out over the town to see the soft mist of dawn coating the buildings like a blanket. Rui, curled up next to me, cracked open her lids, and blinked slowly, as if trying to remember where she was. Tugging off the comforter, I stretched and entered the bathroom to clean up, not remembering the previous night's incident. Splashing cold water on my face, I looked in the circular mirror. Lines from the blanket's creases stretched over my left cheek, and I scowled at them, as though I was trying to make them go away with my glare. Muttering angrily about nothing under my breath, I grabbed my belt and the laptop.

"C'mon Rui. We're going for a jog and some training." She jumped off the bed and walked over as I grabbed the room key, putting it in my pocket. Suddenly, I was hit with a sense of déjá vu. "No tricks this time." I grumbled, and pushed it all the way in. Opening the door, Rui and I walked into the hallway. From Seth's room snores reverberated, and I smirked slightly. _Who would have guessed?_ Sarcastic as ever.

Outside, I unclipped Bulbasaur's ball and let her out.

"Saur!" And she once again latched onto my leg.

"Alright. I need to give you a name."

"Ba." She mumbled around her mouthful of my leg.

"So... How about..." The first plant that popped into my mind was, "Grape?" She shook her head. "Clover?" She shook her head again. I frowned and started to fire off names. To each one she shook her head. Finally, exasperated, I said, "Super Evil Plant of Doom?" And to my horror, she nodded.

"Bulba!" She squealed enthusiastically.

"No, what? I wasn't... What the..." I scowled. "Let's stick with Bulbasaur for now." She shook her head. Great. Now I was stuck with a Bulbasaur named "Super Evil Plant of Doom". "Eh... Hold on, we need to work this out..." She shook her head again. Rui tugged my arm, and jerked her head at the road. "We are going to talk after the jog." I stated firmly, and settled into my pace as I began my morning run. Heading North, I entered the forest. Stopping in a small clearing, I allowed my heart rate to slow. Hanging from the branches, a Kakuna caught my eyes. "Alright! Bulbasaur! Get it!" Bulbasaur didn't move, and a sickening thought enter my head. _Oh no. I guess her name really is... Super Evil Plant of Doom now..._ I gulped. "Super Evil- You get the idea. Get it." She still refused to move. "Oh for crying out loud! Have it your way. Super Evil Plant of Doom! Get the Kakuna!"

"Doom!" She said, trying out her new name. She lumbered to the tree and knocked the cocoon out of the branch with Vine Whip. It fell uselessly to the ground.

"Stun spore and Leech Seed!" I said, watching intently as she followed my orders, sowing the seeds that would slowly drain the bug's energy. And all it did was lie there and use Harden. "Vine Whip until its knocked out." After repeated hits, the bug closed its eyes, having fainted. "Well done. Now, we have to talk about your name."

"Bulba."

"I can't call you that all the time. It's just too hard."

"SAUR! DOOM!"

"So, from now on, I'm going to call you Sepo. Abbreviation of... What ever that name was. Without the doom bit."

"Se...po?" She looked at me, confused.

"Right. That cool with you?" _Not that it matters._ I added silently in my head. She considered, pawing the mossy ground.

"Ba. Bul. Sepo saur." Sepo said in agreement. "Doom, babul, sa sa." I stared at her.

"Don't know what you mean."

"SEPO DOOM!" I rubbed my temples.

"Okay! Fine! You want a croissant? We can do that." Sepo stomped her foot in irritation. I gave a small smile. "Might as well get on with training then, right?" She snorted, but nodded, and we continued training until the sun had risen over Mt. Moon.

* * *

Back at the hotel, whose banquet hall had been unlocked to serve guests breakfast, I met Candi at a table close to the pastries.

"GOOD MORNING!" She squealed and hugged me, her Meowth looking intensely at the silver spoons and forks.

"Morning." I gasped as she crushed my lungs.

"Did you see the forks? They're shiny!" Her eyes were wide and happy. "Really shiny."

"Yeah. Shiny. Let go?" I could feel my face turn an unhealthy purple. She released me and handed me a plate.

"The danishes are really good and the chocolate croissants and the bear claws and the cinnamon rolls-" She rattled off a list of all the sugary pastries on the table. "-and the cherry turnovers, the apple turnovers-" I stopped her.

"Candi, did you eat any eggs or anything remotely good for you?" She shook her head vigorously.

"They don't _taste_ good. But do you know what does? Cocoa Puffs!" I raised my eyebrow and said,

"Really, Candi? Really?" Not recognizing my sarcasm, she stated obliviously,

"Yup! They turn the milk all chocolaty and good!" I put my head in the hand free of the china plate.

"I was being sarcastic, Candi." She frowned.

"What does that mean?" At her words, I had to work hard to prevent my jaw dropping.

"Just... Keep our table. Yeah." Rui was shaking with her silent laughter as I mumbled irritably to myself. Throwing a bagel and some fruit onto my plate, I joined Candi at the table. She frowned when she saw my breakfast.

"A bagel? Fruit? Fruit tastes a lot better in a turnover. All sugary goodness." Her eyes glazed over. "And the crispy wonderfulness of the outside, and the sugary goodness." She repeated.

"Who would have guessed?" I muttered under my breath. "Candi likes sugar." Keeping my eyes on my plate, I picked the bagel apart and ate it slowly, trying to block Candi's chatter.

"Seth!" She squealed, breaking off her monologue. Standing abruptly, she went to hug him, instead managing to trip on her chair, falling onto him. Giggling, she stood back up and clapped her hands. "The pastries are really good! Especially the danishes, the chocolate croissants-" Smirking slightly at the sleepy looking Seth, I waited for him to sit at the table before saying,

"Sleep well?" He shook his head slightly. "Funny... I would have sworn you did." He glanced at me.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I shrugged, and was saved from answering by his Sandshrew, once again trying to get Rui's attention.

"Shrew!" He chirruped, clinging to my arm just below Rui's perch. "Sa rew!" Rui frowned at the rodent.

"Cu! Bo-cube!" She replied, sounding miffed.

"And-sarew!" Was his answer, as Seth and I looked on, more than a little amused. _What I wouldn't give to know what they're saying..._ Mentally smirking, I though again, _Scratch that, there are a lot of things I wouldn't give. My E-Poké being rather high on that list. _Rui had now hit Sandshrew lightly on the side of the head. Thinking things had gone on long enough, I pried him from my arm and placed him back on Seth's lap, who gripped him firmly as he tried to escape back to Rui.

"What's he doing?" I asked Seth, who was forced to return the struggling pokémon to its ball. Seth yawned and shrugged.

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Move to fast for you?" I drawled. I'd only known him a day, but his sloth-like nature was obvious to me.

"Yup." He mumbled, gulping orange juice. We finished up our breakfasts, Candi guzzling hot chocolate like there was no tomorrow, and we went to our respective rooms to wash up and pack. Checking my pockets, I was relieved to find that my card was where I remembered it to be. Rui looked at me with concern when I breathed in relief. Meeting her eyes, I said,

"Don't ever want that to happen again." She rolled her eyes at bumped my head with her bone in a signal to hurry up. Scowling, I unlocked the door with a grumbled, "You're worse than I am."

Brushing my teeth, I put some of the hotel's shampoo in my E-Poké. Weird? Not really. For one, it was _really_ good shampoo. It smelled like lavender with a little bit of mint. Very fancy. Two, I didn't have any shampoo (or lotion, or conditioner) in my E-Poké, even if it did have a tent and portable heater/ air conditioning system, which the manufacturers conveniently forgot needed an electricity plug. Go figure.

Looking around the room one last time to make sure I didn't forget anything, I nodded with satisfaction and left, closing the door on the over-priced room. Deciding against the elevator and its suicide-inducing music, I clattered down the stairway, jumping the last few steps. Stepping outside, I waited for Candi and Seth, hoping that Candi wouldn't get lost on her way to the elevator. To my surprise, she popped out of the sliding doors before Seth, her jaws working furiously on another piece of gum.

"Sophie!" She skipped over to me. "I almost got lost in the lobby!" Her eyes widened. "There were so many chairs and tables. It took so long to figure out how to make my way through!"

"You must be joking." I muttered. "If you weren't, you'd be blond." Candi frowned, blowing a bubble.

"I don't like blond hair. It's so... blond..." She said seriously.

"No, really?" Still oblivious to my sarcasm, she nodded,

"Crazy, isn't it?" Mentally strangling myself for letting Seth allow Candi to tag along, I remained silent until said boy exited the hotel, thirty minutes later.

"Ready?" He asked, clutching at Sandshrew, who had began struggling as soon as he saw Rui.

"Yeah." I grumbled, pissed off from the long wait. "About time." I said, in an even lower tone.

"YES!" Candi yelled, and went streaking off down the road.

"Can-" I began to yell she was going the wrong way, until she tripped. Rolling my eyes, I jogged over and said, "Wrong way."

"Pft. I totally knew that." She said.

"Right. Whatever floats your boat. Pokémart is this way." I led her back to Seth, who grinned.

"You're almost like a mom or something." I scowled at him, and he continued casually, "You need to stop scowling. You're face is going to get stuck that way." About to scowl even more, I stopped myself, and glared. I took out Sepo's pokéball and released her, enjoying the look on Seth's face, until he keeled over with laughter when she shrieked,

"DOOM!" _Oh, come on._ I thought.

"Doom? Now where did it learn that?" Seth wheezed. "Pardon me, but your sense of humor isn't _that_ good, Sophie." Rolling my eyes I mumbled,

"Its her name." He raised an eyebrow.

"You named her Doom?"

"No!" I snapped. "She named herself, 'Super Evil Plant of Doom'." Another laughing fit came over him.

"So- so now- you have to... to call her... Super... Evil..." Seth couldn't even finish the sentence, his hysterics reaching a climax. I couldn't even hear him anymore, he was laughing to hard.

"I'm going to kill Professor Oak." I said bluntly, and moved down the street, Sepo contently biting my calf numb. Candi skipped over to join me.

"SOPHIE!" She yelled in my ear. I jumped.

"What?" I rubbed my ears as they rang.

"Tell me the joke!" Looking at her blankly, I replied,

"What joke?"

"The one you told Seth." Still confused, I wondered if she was insane. Made sense to me.

"I didn't tell him a joke."

"Yes you did! Look! He's _still_ laughing. It must have been a really, really, really, really, really-" I could feel my eyes glaze over as she repeatedly said "really". After about twenty, I interrupted,

"Okay, okay! I get it. It's very something. See, he stopped." I gestured back at Seth, who was running to catch up.

"Oh... Okay then!" She said happily, and I stared at her, wondering what could make her so bouncy. "Want some gum?" Shaking my head, I made a mental note to limit hot cocoa.

We reached the pokémart, Candi immediately darting off to look at some of the shinier items on display, Seth finally catching up, panting.

"Next... time... slow... down." He gasped. "I'm not... into... running." I merely grinned evilly, and went down the pokéball aisle. Layers of glossy orbs covered the shelves, ranging from the typical red and white pokéball, to the fancier Fast balls (specially imported from Johto.) Looking at Rui, I asked,

"Which one?" She looked around, considering. Finally, she pointed with her bone at a red and gold banded black ball further down. Striding over I picked one from the shelf, and read the detail card.

**_Luxury Ball_**

**_1,000.00_**

**_Description: Allow your pokémon comfort and ease between battles with the Luxury Ball! Specially created to keep your favorite pokémon happy._**

I looked at Rui, who nodded again.

"High maintenance?" I muttered, but didn't put the ball back on the shelf. Going back up the aisle, I grabbed a twelve-pack of regular pokéballs before selecting some more potions and antidotes (last thing I needed was for Rui to get poisoned while in the Forest). Arms full, I walked over to the cash register and plopped the items down in front of the attendant.

"Hello and thank you for shopping with us." The man spoke in a monotone. "Did you find everything you needed?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Your total is five thousand pokédollars." I handed him the money. "Thank you. Paper or plastic?"

"I'll carry them."

"Wonderful. Would you like assistance carrying them out to your car?" Giving him a funny look, I took this as my cue to leave.

Outside, I settled down on a bench and pulled out the laptop, waiting to store the newly bought items. As all but the Luxury Ball vanished in a flash of yellow light, I set Rui on the ground.

"Ready to try this thing out?" I asked, as she nodded. I tossed the ball, and she was sucked inside. Naturally, she didn't struggle to be released, instead the ball bleeped immediately that she had been "caught". I picked up the ball and released her, jaw dropping as she materialized with a party hat, looking overwhelmed. I could see confetti caught in the ridges of her skull helmet, and I said,

"Is everything... good?" My voice cracked a bit on the last word. After a pause, Rui nodded, clambering back onto my shoulder, methodically shredding the party hat.

Seth soon emerged, dragging Candi behind him, who was pouting about not being able to touch the "shiny stuff". Trying (and failing) to get accustomed to her antics, we headed toward the Viridian Forest. Not paying any attention to where I was going (and I blame Sepo for this, who knew that bulbasaurs have _fangs_?) I ran into someone. Yeah, that's right. _I_ ran into someone, instead of Candi. Shocker (no, seriously. You don't know how many times she ran into someone in the road). And to my disgust, I had to look up to see the face of the person I ran into. Holy Entei, I _hate_ it when people are taller than me.

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***Author's Note* Oh my, who could it be? A friend, a rival, or maybe just a random person (yeah, right). **

**Ha! Bulbasaur is quickly becoming my favorite character (if she counts as one) to write. Gotta love a messed up Bulbasaur.  
**

**Okay, I need you guys to answer something for me. I'm thinking that Sepo is going to stay a bulbasaur, but I might make her evolve once. I don't want a massive leg-chomping plant on the loose. Just tell me what you think.**

**And thank you to all who reviewed. "Belief at Dawn" gets better and better with each chapter. Seriously. Just to let you all know. **

**I'll tell you when I don't want anymore OCs (I will remove form and make a note in summary) so keep them coming! Please, I need more reviews. I have to distinguish between who is actually interested in the story, and those who just want to see their OC selected. I also need the moral support, so I know that my efforts aren't being ignored. :P **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed!  
**


	7. Chapter 6: Doppelgangers and Rivals

**_Chapter Six: Doppelgangers and Rivals_**

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Longer dark hair with what looked like dyed tips (blond, to Candi's horror I imagine). Of course, I had to swallow a laugh. Really, how many guys in their early teens do that? That's how old he looked, anyway. Maybe fourteen, or even fifteen, though that was pushing it. He was about half a head taller than me, and as I had been slightly bent over, trying to deal with Sepo, I had run into his thickly padded jacket. Which was another thing that made me raise my eyebrows. _It's summer, buddy, not winter. You're going to roast with a faux fur hood like that. _There was something familiar about the way he held himself, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Taking all this in within seconds, I met his eyes, which were glowering at me. Did I mention how I hate it when people are taller than me?

"Watch it." He growled._ Man, this guy is seriously going through puberty._ I thought. _His voice is like a... Snorlax or something._

"Sorry." I grunted, and moved out of the way. And that would have been the end of it, if it wasn't for Candi.

"Hi!" She squealed, being herself. "I'm Candi! Do you like gum? I like gum! Do you want some gum?" The boy glared at her.

"Go away." Candi pouted.

"You're not very nice. Do you want some gum?"

"Yeah. I would definitely like a piece of gum from a random girl I never met before." He drawled, and it hit me. The way he stood, the "don't mess with me" air, the sarcasm... _Holy shit, Mew. _I thought. _What is he? A... Sophie clone-like thing?_ Seth was looking a little irritated now.

"Hey! Easy! Candi doesn't understand sarcasm!" Candi looked at him.

"Sophie used that word! What does it mean, Seth? Tell MEEEEEEE!" In full Candi-mode now, she pestered Seth beyond belief. I too busy struggling with my revelation to laugh at the sight. The boy rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe you guys are actually on a journey. Pathetic." His words broke through to me. I glared daggers at him.

"Pathetic? Pathetic?" I snarled.

"Oh no, you guys are all so strong! I wish I could be like you!" Sarcasm again. Nobody uses sarcasm in this region except me.

"Cut the sarcasm, idiot. You're probably no better than us."

"Good point. I wish that I had a cubone with confetti in its skull." My anger was bubbling. He was like me, ten times magnified. I wasn't nearly as rude to people I just met. With Kira, at least, I had a better excuse than her bumping into me.

"That's it! We're battling! Here, now, let's go, poo head!" I snapped. He just smirked.

"That desperate to lose?"

"Oh my, I'm _so_ scared." I said. "Maybe I ought to back down and let you destroy my pride. What a plan that is!" He continued to smirk.

"I like your sarcasm. Much better than gum chewer over there."

"Shut up and battle, boy." He grinned, showing super straight teeth, which I never would have achieved without braces (been there, done that, and hated the whole two years).

"One on one, no items, two each, no switching out." He said, pulling out both a blue Netball and a regular pokéball. "Ready?" I nodded, utterly serious now. "Go Squirtle!" I forced my face back from showing a smile.

"Sepo! Take it out!" His squirtle appeared and looked pissed off at the sight of Sepo, waddling out to meet it.

"You get first move." The boy said, and I scowled. _Cocky, is he?_

"Alright then. Sepo, use Leech Seed combined with Vine Whip!" In my head, I chanted, _Don't say "Doom", don't say "Doom", don't-_

"Doom!" She squealed and puffed out a cloud of seeds onto the Squirtle, who she had captured with her vines, as the boy had yelled,

"Squirtle, roll to avoid!"

"Fail." I muttered, though I was sure he heard, as he scowled at me, dark eyes piercing. Unlike Aris' Roselia, the Squirtle was weak to the Leech Seed, and I could already see its strength draining. "Good job, keep it caught!" I said, but to my shock, the boy yelled,

"Squirtle! Bite the vines!"

"Retract and dodge, Sepo!" Sepo began to pull back, but not before I saw fangs elongate in the turtle's mouth, chomping down hard on the vines.

"Doom! Se bul ba, saur doom!" Sepo shrieked, but it didn't sound like she was in pain. Instead, it sounded more like "Awesome! I wish I could grow fangs that big!"

"Squirtle, ir ir qui." It replied through its grip on her vines. Frowning, I said,

"Sepo, pull back as far as your vines can go, and use tackle!" The boy looked caught between telling Squirtle to release and risk another Vine Whip, or to let go and send Sepo off balance. I could see him thinking furiously, calculating the chances. I could see a notion form in his head, and I had a feeling that something was about to work out well for him. I could feel my blood pumping through my neck uncomfortably. Sepo was now at the limits of her vines. "Sepo! Now!" I shouted, just as he yelled,

"Spin!" I don't think either of us expected to see Squirtle spinning, and getting tangled in the vines, while Sepo whirled around him, like in a messed up carnival ride. When everything was still, the boy and I looked at the scene before us. I couldn't see the Squirtle anymore. The vines had wrapped it up until it the only thing left was its head. And guess who decided that they needed a new chew toy? Well, it shouldn't take a quantum physicist to figure that out. I almost felt bad for Squirtle. I mean, the last thing it saw before passing out was the gaping abyss of Sepo's mouth. Not fun.

The boy and I exchanged glances.

"Um..." We both said, and he pulled out Squirtle's pokéball.

"Return." He grumbled, and the turtle vanished.

"Po-po!" Sepo sighed and pulled her vines back into the bulb in her back. "Doom se."

"Well, that was a nice warm up." The boy said, and I snorted. Nice indeed. "Go! Scyther!"

"Eh, what?" I blinked at the five- foot tall bug that had been released into. "Oh, come on." Odds flashed through my head. Plant and Ground was a no-go, same with any karate moves Rui had learned. Poison might work, but Sepo still hadn't learned that yet. So I was stuck with Growl, Leer, Head butt, and Tackle. Great. "Sepo, Leech Seed."

"Dodge and Quick Attack!" He shouted.

"Leech Seed straight up!" I yelled, and Sepo managed to spray the bug as it flew at her, faster than I would have believed possible. To my amusement, the bug sneezed politely into its elbow. Smirking, I said to it, "Bless you." It nodded to me, and I grinned. Awesome.

"Thank you, Scyther. That was very good." The boy said, just as amused as I was (at this point I was wondering why we couldn't read each others minds.) Snapping me out of my head, he said, "Continue Quick Attacks and mix with Pursuit!"

"Get out of the way and grab him with Vine Whip!" Sepo stood on her hind legs, wobbling slightly from the weight of the bulb, and shot the twin vines at the oncoming bug. She latched onto the thighs of the Scyther and clung on as it shot through the air. "Good job! Now swing onto its back and bite anything that looks good!" Sepo grunted a bit as she swung up, making me think of chin ups, and how I ought to do some after the battle ended.

"Oh! Sophie's bulbasaur has a PONY!" Candi's voice met my ears. "But its not a PRETTY pony." Her voice turned to disappointment. Risking a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw Candi standing with her hands clasped in front of her, quivering with excitement, and Seth, lying against a tree, exhausted. Turning back to look up at Sepo and Scyther, I could see it flying around in feeble circles, with her latched onto one of its wings, inhibiting its flight. She had managed to find the one place that the bug's scythes couldn't reach, much like there is that one place on your back that if nearly impossible to scratch. From across the way, the boy was looking utterly confused, and I couldn't blame him.

"Shake that thing off!" He said at last.

"Scyth!" It went into a series of impressive loops and barrel rolls that I was almost sure would drop Sepo. And yet, she clung on with those disturbingly strong jaws. An idea popped into my head.

"Sepo! Use a vine and grab a tree!" She complied and the pair began hurtling toward the trunk. I waited for the right moment, and I could hear the boy yelling,

"Easy does it! Lose some speed!" But it was too late for that. As they grew nearer and nearer to the tree, I shouted,

"Release the wing!" It was better than any circus I'd ever heard of. Swinging on her vine, she flipped over the branch and landed firmly on all fours. The Scyther, however, did nothing so graceful. He smashed into the tree and fell to the ground with a grunt. For one, glorious moment, I thought that I had won. Then it got back up and launched itself at Sepo, still blindingly fast. "Stun spore!" I yelled, as the bug moved in a spiral around her. Sepo sent the powder into the air, but the Scyther's flight path caused it to swirl in a cyclone around her, paralyzing her instead of her target. _Damn, Moltres, he's got them trained good._ I thought as he shouted something incomprehensible. "Dodge whatever is coming!" Panic welled inside of me. This was not looking good. Sepo tried to roll out of the way, but her paralyzed limbs did nothing to help her. Scyther's blades slashed, and the next thing I knew was that Sepo was out cold, motionless. Frowning, I returned her, with a "Next time." and looked over at Rui. "Well, lets see what you can do." She had been wiping at her skull, trying to dislodge some of the remaining confetti with mixed success. Glancing up, she nodded, and hopped down, ready to face a bug five times as big as she was.

"Quick Attack!" The smirk on the boy's face as he said this was unbearable.

"Dodge, and get him with your bone! No special moves!" I ordered, knowing full well that if she used Bonemerang the Ground move would do nothing against the Flying-Bug pokémon. As it sped toward her, she leapt into the air and conked it firmly on the head. Unfortunately, like the Roselia, it faltered only momentarily before speeding back at her. Cursing the fact that Cubone's weren't the most agile in the world, I yelled, "Head butt!" Honestly, the encounter was epic. you could see the two running at each other and knew that a head-on collision was inevitable. They collided and there was a loud _smack_ and a puff of confetti (which I would have found funny, if I wasn't so tense). Both lay there, stunned, as the boy and I watched on. Seconds passed until I couldn't bear it any longer. "Up and at 'em, Rui! Do you want a bug to beat you?"

"Cu." She grunted and hauled herself up to face the Scyther once again. It too had managed to get up, and was now watching her warily.

"Head butt!" I said, and she charged forward once again.

"You know the drill, Scyther!" The boy said calmly. _Oh man... That can _not_ be good._

"Rui! Change to high-low kick!" I swiftly changed my previous order, and not a second too soon. The bug came flying at her, its scythes ready to slice. Flipping herself around, Rui delivered a firm kick to its jaw and its stomach. It keeled over onto its knees, off balance.

"Don't let it get to you! Use an upper-cut, now!" The Scyther's trainer said cooly.

"Parry and counter!" Was my reply, and what was almost like a sword duel ensued. The initial parry and repost worked wonders, being the last thing the trainer expected. But being so like me, he recovered (faster than I would have. I'm telling you, he's a super-Sophie clone,) and the strangest pokémon battle that I have ever seen or heard of began. The pokémon whirled like dancers, slashing and blocking as we gave our commands. _Too bad that bone is blunt._ I thought, sizing up the weapons of the pokémon. _Those things that Scyther has are frightening, to say the least._

"Use Quick Attacks with your scythes!" _Damn. What the hell am I supposed to do now?_ I thought furiously.

"Defensive stance! It can't keep this up forever!" She obliged, and crouched slightly, bone held in front of her. The Scyther was tiring, but only slightly. It darted in again, and whipped out with its weapons. "Parry!" I shouted, and was painfully aware of how my voice was losing power. "Tail Whip! Now!" As Rui knocked the scythes away, she spun and smacked the pokémon with her tail. "Head butt, while it isn't ready!" I said, adrenaline pumping.

"Quick Attack, and get out of the way!" But the bug had done too many of those. Its natural speed helped, but it wasn't as fast as before. Cubone slammed into its midriff, successfully knocking the air out of it. It wheezed a bit, but was back up swiftly, a little to swiftly for my liking.

"Vacuum Wave!" The boy commanded. His pokémon leaped into the air and I could see the pollen-filled air begin to swirl around it.

"Roll and Head butt first chance!" I gulped, watching the warped air curl around the Scyther.

"Scy-THER!" The air looked as though it solidified slightly before forming into a spinning crescent. It shot at Rui, and she rolled away. But she wasn't fast enough. It glanced off the side of her head and disappeared into the soil. I can only imagine how the blow had echoed in her skull. She swayed and clutched her head, trying to dispel the fierce sound.

"Good job, now finish it off with Pursuit." He said, as it glowed black and began coming at Rui.

"Tail whip, and when its off balance, Head butt!" Half of me was so worried that her skull couldn't take much more of this. All things considered, I don't know how much the rest of her could take either. The bug darted in, and she whipped her tail around. The pokémon flicked it away with one of its arms, and slammed into her.

"BONE!" She cried, and collapsed. This time, she didn't get back up. Striding forward, I picked her up, cradling her in my arms.

"You did well."

"Ru..." She sighed, and went to sleep. I looked up at the boy in front of me, and noticed (with pleasure) that he was soaked with sweat, his Scyther dragging one wing uselessly. What got to me was the fact that he still hadn't removed his jacket. _Poo head._ I grumbled in my mind, and walked over to the boy.

"Next time, you will lose." I said, calmly, the only hint of frustration in my eyes.

"What makes you so sure there will be a next time?" He replied, still smirking.

"Oh, the stars tell of it." I drawled. "Articuno, what to I look like? A fortune teller? No, boy, I'm simply saying that you will lose next time. No more, no less."

"And yet, you still don't know if there will be a next time." He looked down at me, and I'm sure my frustration was more prominent now. "Much less my name."

"Fft. I was content calling you boy, but if you have a preference..." I was definitely pissed now. "I would oh-so-happily call you what you like." I snapped.

"Sore loser?" He jabbed.

"No, I just get pissed when I lose to sore winners!"

"That didn't make any sense at all."

"Deal with it, boy!" I growled.

"Not boy, Reizu. Last name unimportant."

"Well, Reizu Unimportant, I suggest you watch yourself, because when I see you next, there is gonna be a battle that will leave you on the streets crying for your mommy." Looking at his hair again, I muttered, "Or your hairdresser." He scowled and muttered something that sounded like,

"Suicune curse Umi and her stupid bets." Grinning slightly, I turned away from Reizu and looked back at my companions. Seth was slightly revived now, and was on his feet again, leaning against the tree. Candi was eating popcorn.

"Candi, where in the name of Mew did you get _popcorn_?" I said, staring at her in disbelief.

"I kept some for later in my bag!" She said proudly, and showed me the slightly soggy looking popcorn bag. Now frowning at it, she continued, "But it would be so much better with chocolate." About to say something, I stopped myself and shook my head slightly.

"Wow, who would have guessed that Sophie doesn't always have to put her say in?" Seth spoke up, trying to look cool despite the sweat streaks on his forehead.

"Who would have guessed that you actually move? Oh, wait, you do have to crap occasionally, right?" Today was definitely not my day. He frowned, but covered it up with a yawn.

"Do we get to stay here all day?" Seth asked, more than a little hopefully.

"Nope." I replied, and pulled out some of the medicines that I had on hand. Releasing Sepo from her ball, I crouched beside her and Rui, spraying first one, then the other with a potion. For Sepo, I also sprayed an Anti-Paralysis concoction, standing up quickly so that she'd launch herself at my leg, rather than my face. "Let's go." I said, and walked to the Forest. Reizu had disappeared, and I felt kind of dramatic, walking toward the trees. Which, naturally, couldn't last a minute.

"SOPHIE!" Candi shrieked. "Where did the ugly pony go?"

* * *

***Author's Note* Hope you enjoyed! Sophie now has her rival, and I'm sure it was the last thing you all expected. I'd like to thank xIritriax for the OC suggestion. And while we are on the topic, I would also like to thank Lolli-S and Money Stax, your OCs rock.**

**"Belief at Dawn" people, seriously! The past few chapters had a battle of epic proportions! Not something you want to miss, I'm sure. J. Whitnee is an incredible author, and I don't want my reader's lives half-lived! So check it out!**

**As usual, I'm still accepting OCs. I would also appreciate any reviews, nasty or not. I need to know what people think. I you like my story, tell your friends, family, dog, cat, leg-biting bulbasaur, anyone! I want this story to be read.**

**That's all for my rant. Thank you readers/ reviewers, I love you and all that hippie stuff that people just seem to eat up these days.  
**


	8. Chapter 7: Slushie Water

_**Chapter Seven: Slushie Water**_

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The Forest was not nearly as pretty as it was earlier in the morning. The summer heat had baked the plants, and the trees kept the heat in better than any house I had known. Seth and I were both grumbling, though about completely different things. He about having to walk "so far" in this heat, and me about having to listen to Seth in the heat. He had given up on trying to restrain Sandshrew, and now the two ground pokémon were having to walk next to each other. For the first two hours, all that I could hear from them was,

"Bone!" (Translation: "Leave me alone, you little sand-rodent!") -Rui.

"Sa-Sand!" ("Why should I?")

"Cu-ru, bo-cube." ("Because it's hot, I just lost a battle to a kid who was freakishly like Sophie, and you are a sand-rodent.")

"REW!" ("Exactly what is wrong with sand rodents?")

"Cube." ("Nothing. I just couldn't think of a third reason.")

"Shrew." ("Hmph. Let's battle.")

"Cubone?" ("Sand-rodent say what?")

"And-shrew." ("You heard me. Right now.")

"Bo." (Leave me alone, rodent.") And so it must have continued, for their chatter didn't die down the whole time we were walking. Candi was skipping happily waving hello to every pokémon she saw (as well as a few trees that I doubt were even remotely related to any pokémon.)

"Hello, Caterpie! Hello Caterpie number two! Oops, sorry! That made you sound like poop!" Insert Candi-giggle here. "Bye bye! Oh, hello Caterpie number three! And number four! Are you two sisters? Hello Caterpie number four! Ack! I lost count! Oh well. Guess we just have to start over! Hello Caterpie number one!" Seth was looking a little sick.

"Candi, will you please keep your voice down!" _Wow Mew, he must be really irritated. Not even flirting._ I thought, looking at him with surprise. _He might actually be relatively sane._ I glanced down at Sepo and over at Candi. _Well, as sane as you get with this bunch. Which might be more insane than anything._

Multiple times, the random (and weak) bug catchers that filled the Forest challenged me. Some of them I swear had sent out just-caught pokémon to battle. What noobs. And they barely had any cash on them. Looking back, I figure I should have put some money on the line while battling Aris and Ryan. With those clothes, they must have been loaded. Counting my winnings as I walked, I found I had just enough for maybe a pokéball and a potion. Not a whole lot. Placing it back in my pocket, another boy jumped out of the bushes (do they seriously just wait there the whole time until someone comes by?)

"I challenge you to a pokémon battle!" He yelled, waving his net wildly. I rolled my eyes.

"Calm down, kid. You're going to hurt yourself." I grumbled. "And I don't feel like it."

"You can't turn down a challenge! It's in the rules!" Bug-catcher whined.

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you challenge Seth over there. He needs practice." I jerked my head back at Seth.

"Which one is Seth?" He asked, looking over my shoulder.

"I don't know, maybe the one with a big fat 'S' on his shirt?" I said, irritable as always.

"Oh... I don't know... He looks pretty strong..." My jaw dropped.

"Are you telling me that I didn't look strong?" He shifted uncomfortably.

"No. Well, yes. You're the first person I've seen with a Bulbasaur attached to their leg." Well, that certainly cleared a lot of things up.

"Right... Well, Seth would certainly be happy to challenge you." He threw another look over my shoulder.

"What about the girl?" I blinked. _Candi?_ I thought. _Does she battle?_ Turning to look at her, I asked,

"Candi, _do_ you battle?" She shook her head.

"Nope! I'm a breeder! Hey! That sounds like 'feeder'! Seth! I made a rhyme!"

"Very nice." He said, looking at me with a question in his eyes. I glanced back at the Bug-catcher.

"Well?" He continued to examine Seth.

"Okay! Seth! I challenge you to a battle!"

"Eh, what?" Seth looked confused. "What's going on?" I sat against a tree.

"One on one, no items, and one-hundred pokédollars for the winner!" The boy said, and took out his one and only pokéball.

"Sophie... What did you do now?" Seth complained.

"Go! Butterfree!" The Bug-catcher released his pokémon, which flapped easily in the air.

"Aw... Crap, Sophie. I have to battle?" He looked at me, exasperated.

"Yup. It's in the rule book." I replied, thinking, _I'm such a hypocrite._

"Fine, fine... I'm ten times better at battling than you, anyway."

"Psh. Yeah, right. Whatever floats your Lapras." I replied, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"Don't have one." He said, looking around for Sandshrew.

"No, really? A figure of speech, genius."

"Sandshrew! Will you leave Rui alone a minute?" Seth called.

"Shrew!" The pokémon shuffled out onto the trail. "Sand-sand."

"There you are. Ready, bug guy?" Seth said to his opponent.

"Born ready." The boy replied.

"Right..." Seth muttered. "Sandshrew, Swift and Rapid Spin!" The rodent spun, firing stars in every direction. One nearly got my leg.

"Hey! Watch it, boy!" I yelled.

"Sorry. My bad." He grinned at me. "Scratch the wings, Sandshrew!"

"String Shot and Sleep Powder!" The butterfree shot a string of a white, sticky substance at Sandshrew, wrapping him up in mid-air. Green powder exploded from the bug's wings and covered the cocoon, and soon the sound of snoring pokémon reached my ears. Seth hit his head in his palm.

"Wake up! Come on! Do you want to end up like me?" Seth coaxed his pokémon.

"Confusion!" The other boy yelled, and the butterfreee glowed white. The cocoon began glowing as well, and trembled.

"COME ON! I NEED TO GET THIS OVER WITH!" Seth bellowed, and I clapped my hands to my ears.

"Keep it down." I muttered.

"Shrew!" A muffled cry came from the bundle.

"Good! Now, Scratch out!" Sharp claws slashed through the silk.

"Confusion!" The boy ordered again.

"Roll and Swift!" He countered. The two launched their attacks. Stars hit the wings as the bug used another Psychic attack. The butterfree fell from the air and landed in front of Sandshrew. "Scratch!" Seth commanded, and with two quick swipes, the battle was won. Wordlessly, the bug-catcher gave the prize money to Seth, and ran off.

"That was quick." I said, surprised. The last thing I had expected from him was a fast battle. He shrugged.

"Told you I was better." He said cooly. I snorted and retorted (oh so cleverly),

"Right." Candi skipped over to us.

"Sophie! Seth! You looked cool! What's for lunch?" Yup, only Candi can change the subject so quickly.

"Anyone got a watch?" I looked around at the group.

"Nope! But I do have gum! Do you want some gum?"

"Does it matter?" Seth asked. "We're hungry. I'm a growing boy." I stared, but remained silent. Pulling out my pokédex, I looked at a map of the forest, finally saying.

"We're a little less than halfway... And it's around three thirty. I guess we should camp somewhere near for tonight..." Seth nodded emphatically, and walked off to look for a likely place. Candi skipped off, now saying hello to Weedles.

For the moment, Rui was freed from Sandshrews pestering, and took the moment to search for a good place to train herself. That's what I really loved about Rui. She had self motivation, and I didn't have to constantly train her. I had some time to do my own exercise as well.

"Oi! Sophie! I found a place!" Seth's voice drifted through the trees. Not bothering to look for Rui, I merely said into the forest,

"Just come by whenever you're done." And jogged toward Seth's voice. He had selected a nice patch of level ground, carpeted by moss like the rest of the forest. I could faintly hear the Forest's creek bubbling from the clearing, and Seth was kicking rocks out of the way. Candi was skipping happily around, offering gum to some very confused Metapods.

"Candi?" I tried, but she didn't hear me. "Candi!" I said, louder.

"Yes, Soph-a-loaf?" I choked.

"Soph-a-loaf? Where did that come from?" She giggled and came over to me, practically bouncing with happiness.

"It RHYMES!" Candi clapped her hands. "Soph...a... loaf!" I winced.

"No. It doesn't." She frowned.

"Yes it does!" She said, defending my new nickname.

"Okay, it does, but it doesn't." I replied, and even Candi couldn't make sense of it.

"What do you mean, Soph-a-loaf?"

"Hm... That I don't like that name in the least?" I said, with mock pondering.

"Oh... I see... Okay then, Soph-a-loaf!" And she went back to offering bubble gum to random bugs in trees. Scowling, I took out the E-Poké and accessed the item storage system. Under "Shelter" I withdrew the tent, thinking that it was going to appear, all built and wonderful. Instead I got a bundle of synthetic cloth and poles, with an instruction booklet that could take out a donphan, it looked so bulky. Snapping the lid down, I picked up the bundle and the booklet, hoping that this was going to be nice and easy.

* * *

Fifteen minutes in the future found me amidst a tangle of cloth and metal rods, instruction book still in hand. Seth had laughed at me for the past five minutes, almost peeing in his pants. I considered telling Sepo to bite him where it hurts, but decided that I could take my revenge in other ways. Such as telling Candi that Seth had a secret supply of chocolate, and if she asked him enough times, he would give her some. Well, Seth lasted about three minutes before Candi chased him up a nearby tree.

"If you don't die before you get out of that mess, I'll kill you Sophie!" He yelled down at me.

"Aw, suck it up! I doubt you can get your tent up easily!" I called back.

"Hello Metapod number five! Would you like some gum?" (Do I really need to tell you who said that?) Extracting myself from the tangled mess, I looked down at the book's diagrams, and began the monotonous process of pulling the rods from the cover.

"When's lunch?" Seth called, probably to me.

"When my tent's set up!" I growled, tugging a stubborn pole.

"So, we're going to starve?"

"If you want to have kids, I suggest that you shut up." I retorted. I don't think I'll say too much more, just that it took a good hour to figure out that simple tent. Some of you camping-outdoorsy people are laughing at me, I know, but how did you fare with _your_ first tent? Hm? Don't give me any crap about it "being a breeze".

I stood back from my work, looking at the gray and red tent I had built. It had just enough room for me and some pokémon, if they didn't want to sleep in pokéballs. Crawling inside, I placed a pad and sleeping bag on the floor, as well as unclipping my belt and placing it on the bag. Withdrawing some rice balls (a snack I found to be easy, portable, and enjoyable, for me, at least) I walked back outside. Seth was still up a tree, and he reminded me of a Glameow, always going up trees, but not knowing how to come down. He looked torn between jumping, or clinging to the tree with arms and legs. The branch he sat on was about nine or ten feet from the forest floor, and he looked pale.

"You stuck?" I smiled at up at him as he replied with a scowl. "How'd you get up?"

"I dunno. Candi was kinda chasing me around..." He shifted, trying to see if it looked any easier from another position.

"Jump." I said simply.

"What? Are you crazy? I'm ten feet up in the air, and you tell me to _jump_?" Seth's voice cracked.

"Uh... Yeah. Pretty much." I said, biting into a rice ball.

"_That's _lunch?" He looked at me as though I was crazy.

"Yup. If you want anything else, feel free to go bush whacking. Do you want it now, or after you jump?" I asked, continuing to eat.

"You make it sound like I'm going to jump." He stated, apparently still unaware that it was the only way he'd get down.

"Well, you are. Either you jump by choice, or try to shimmy your way down and fall. I doubt you've exercised a whole lot." He puffed up like a mad Qwilfish.

"I'm in top condition, FYI."

"Yeah... Sure... So, you still haven't told me when you want your rice ball." He grumbled under his breath, but said,

"After I jump..." And Seth hopped from the branch. He landed with a loud thud on the moss, and groaned. I rolled my eyes.

"You're supposed to bend your knees with the landing! Absorb the shock!" I cried in exasperation. "Or do a roll, or something! I don't think you broke anything, but you're going to feel like a Snorlax used your legs as a mattress pretty soon."

"Ugh... Rice ball now?" He grunted, and held out his hand for the rice ball. I placed two in his hand, I went to give some to Candi.

"Here." I said upon reaching her. "Eat something vaguely nutritious for a change." And gave her the rice balls. Looking at them, she asked,

"Do they have a chocolaty center?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, Candi. Just eat them, will you?"

"Yay! Chocolate!" And she devoured the ball. Her eyes widened. "This one doesn't have chocolate! Maybe this other one will!" _Ah... Candi... What are we going to do with you?_ I grinned and searched for a tree with a reasonably low branch.

Finding one, I grabbed the branch and pulled my head over.

"One..." I grunted, and proceeded to do nine more. Seth was looking up at me as I hauled my chin above the branch.

"Do you work out a lot?" He asked, swallowing his rice ball. I finished, and fell the couple inches back to the ground. Brushing off my hands, I shrugged, and said,

"Depends on your definition of 'a lot'."

"Obsessively?" Seth tried. I shook my head.

"Nope. Just regularly. What good is it if I get out of shape?" As soon as the words left my lips, I realized that I had said that to the wrong person. "Don't answer that." He shrugged and winced when he shifted his legs.

"You got any magical medicine in that fancy laptop of yours?" I rolled my eyes.

"Nope. No crack. Sorry boy." I answered, knowing full well that that wasn't what he was asking.

"I didn't mean that!"

"I know you didn't."

"So why did you say it?"

"Should I not have?"

"Yeah." He gave me a funny look. "But seriously. Do you think those potions work on humans?" I pulled out the plastic spray bottle.

"Um... Let's see..." I mumbled to myself, and read the warnings section. "This potion is not for use on humans. Such use will cause defects such as: Hair loss, yellow teeth, dry skin, brain tumors, and death. Hm, doesn't sound too bad." Seth just rolled his eyes and muttered,

"Never mind then." I looked up, suddenly feeling kind of sorry for him.

"I have some athletic wrapping, if you want to use it on your knees." I suggested. He shook his head.

"No, thanks. I'll just keep them in the stream. That should numb them a little." And Seth limped off to the bubbling waters. I bit my lip. Yeah, I know. Sophie actually has a slightly sensitive conscious. Who would have thought?

Seth had brought up a good point. Water. A swim sounded really nice right now, the forest was baking me to a crisp.

"Candi, you feel like swimming?" I called to her, interrupting her rant on how she ought to sue the rice ball makers. Apparently they had "forgotten" the chocolaty center.

"-I mean, I would be fine with a little plastic buneary or something, but there was absolutely noth-" She looked over at me. "Yes!" She squealed. "And then we can sue the rice ball makers! I love Fridays!" And she dashed off to get changed, leaving me muttering,

"It's a _tuesday_." But, really, what does Candi care? I disappeared my own tent, withdrawing my swimsuit (navy blue, sports style one-piece with a silver sketched Gyrados on the left side) and changing. Sepo had been waiting seriously, and the moment I was finished, she chomped down on my leg again. I yelped. There was no wrapping to protect me from her fangs now. Wincing with every step, I met Candi in front of her bags, she wearing a hot pink bikini with a red lollipop logo on her bottoms. Her outfit contrasted sharply with her darker skin, and she smiled widely (geez, dark skin really makes your teeth look white).

"Sophie has a fishy on her swim suit!" She sang, grabbing my wrist and tugging me to the creek. A couple of Krabby squatted on the bank, and scuttled away as Candi burst through the brush, saying in her sing-song voice, "Hello Krabby! I love water~" And she prepared to dive in.

"NO!" I yelled, and tugged her away maybe a little too hard. "No there Candi! There's rocks and the water's too shallow!"

"Ha ha! Just testing you!" And she ran off.

"Wait! Candi! NO!" I shouted again, and dove to stop her from entering the white water. "Seriously! Let me pick where we go in." She pouted but allowed me to take charge.

"Fine. You're a poop sometimes, you know that?" I grimaced.

"You'd rather be dead?"

"Hm... Does Giratina like bubble gum?" And the way she said it, you'd think it was the most sensible question on earth.

"I dunno. Ask him."

"What makes you think Giratina's a guy?" She asked, as we walked aimlessly down the creek bed.

"You know what? As soon as you die, make sure you ask Giratina all these questions." I finally said.

"I thought you knew _everything_, Soph-a-loaf!" Candi giggled.

"I do. But I don't feel like enlightening everyone on the mysteries of the universe." Somehow, she took me seriously.

"Aw... Come on Sophie! Tell me!" Ignoring her I yelled,

"SETH!" From further down was the faint response,

"WHADDYA WANT SOPHIE?"

"HOLD ON!" I replied, and rubbed my sore throat.

"OKAY!" Personally, I wouldn't have yelled anymore than necessary, but some people seem to enjoy screaming and shouting like an Exploud. Take Candi for instance,

"SETH! SOPHIE IS BEING A POOP! SHE STOPPED ME FROM FALLING INTO WHITE-"

"Candi! Please! I don't want to go deaf!" I stopped her, as my ears rang. Soon, we joined Seth, who was completely submerged in a nice patch of clear, still water. It looked like he had changed into his suit, which matched the rest of his clothes (black, with red stripes down the sides). He surfaced, and shook his hair, wiping water out of his eyes.

"Legs okay?" It was a stupid question, but I asked it anyway.

"Better than before. Jump indeed." He snorted, and I ignored him, diving easily into the water. Cold. The water shocked my system and I came up spluttering.

"Cold!" I hissed through my teeth, and Seth snickered.

"Yup. It's cold." Candi listened to him and frowned.

"Is it like ice cream cold, or slushie cold?" Both Seth and I stared at her.

"Excuse me?" We said in unison.

"Is it cold like ice cream, or like a slushie?" She repeated, and Seth and I exchanged glances. The cold water was going to my head, and only one thing really looked good at the moment. I moved toward Candi, and Seth saw what I was doing, and came forward to help.

"One... Two... Three!" I yelled, and we tugged Candi into the water. She shrieked with happiness and plunged into the water. When she emerged the first thing she said was,

"It's like a SLUSHIE!" And happily splashed around like a beached Magikarp. As she continually hit us with waves of water, I decided that was enough, and a full on water war ensued. For about thirty minutes, we were really just a bunch of teenagers messing around. It would have gone on longer if the water wasn't cold enough to freeze Moltres. Candi and Seth left to get their towels, but I stayed behind, perched on a rock watching as the Goldeen slowly returned to the pool. I considered catching one, but realized that I might just need a fishing rod. _Crap, Arceus, I'm going to have to buy something else?_ I thought, and began returning to the campsite.

I reached the tents and three things registered in my mind, a candy wrapper, a brown blur, and a _very_ guilty looking Candi. Not to mention that Seth was up the tree again.

* * *

***Author's Note* Uh oh... What happened this time? And why is Candi always behind these kinds of things? Sorry if this chapter bored you, but I needed it to set up future chapters. I'm not going to say anything else.**

**Ah ha! I'm sure Seth's skills surprised you! Too bad he doesn't know how to jump out of a tree though. **

**Anyway, please review! I know some of you may be lazy, but just one little something is enough to make me happy. Just enough for me to know you're a little interesting in the outcome of this story, whether it's criticism, or whatever. I need your help to make my story better.**

**And you need to look at "Belief at Dawn"! Kira and Yoshi have their story too! You'll love our FFs so much more if you read both! Please! And I'm still accepting OCs.  
**

**That's all until next chapter!  
**


	9. Chapter 8: Of Sugar and Butterfrees

_**Chapter Eight: Which Could Have Done Without the Sugar and the Butterfrees**_

* * *

At first, I wanted to laugh. Seth looked like he had seen a ghost, he was so scared. But the moment passed very quickly when I saw where the blur was heading. My tent. The tent that had taken so long to figure out. The glorious, wonderful tent.

"NEVER!" I shouted, and threw myself at the blur. I knocked it to the ground, and got a good look at it. "Rui?" I gasped, surprised, and she wriggled free.

"Ru-ru cu!" She cried, and darted off. To my dismay, the way I translated her was "SUGAR!" Great. My bulbasaur is a Totodile, and my cubone goes insane when she has sugar. Just your everyday pokémon adventure.

Rui was now running up the sides of trees and doing backflips, all the while singing the pokémon version of Kanto's anthem. She finished the song and didn't hesitate to draw breath.

"Bone!" She whacked a tree with her bone, causing it to shake. She darted to the one Seth was in.

"Oh no. Please, Mew. NO!" Seth yelled, as Rui smacked the tree. He dropped and dangled from the branch feebly with one arm.

"Bone!" Rui yelled again.

"RUI! Stop!" I hovered in front of the tent, unwilling to give her a clear path of destruction.

"Bone!" She whacked away at multiple trees, ignoring me completely. "BONE!"

"Argh! Rui! You're acting like a freaking Gyrados!" I yelled.

"She IS a freaking Gyrados! AND your 'bulbasaur' is a freaking TOTODILE!" Seth yelled down at us.

"Metapod number five, does Giratina like gum?" Candi was still talking to bugs.

"Pod..." It sighed through its invisible mouth.

"SAND!" (There you are! Still to cowardly to battle?") -Sandshrew.

"RU-RU CU!" ("SUGAR!!!") And Rui knocked Sandshrew so hard on the head he sank up to his waist in moss.

"Sa..." ("Great. Now what?") The flap of hundreds of wings met my ears above the racket.

"Oh no..." I blanched. I had heard stories of how Beedrill attacked those who had interrupted their rest. "This is not going to be fun..." Every head except for Rui's looked up for the source of the flapping. At first, there was nothing. Then, the sky darkened, the sun's light blocked. An incessant buzz filled the air, and I shook my head, trying to clear it of the noise. Illogically, I began wondering if this would be how my days as a trainer ended, mobbed by Beedrill. Well, you can imagine how I felt when instead of Beedrill, _Butterfrees_ swarmed into our campsite. My mouth fell open, and I heard Seth say,

"Arceus is laughing. I know it."

"Metapod number five! What have I told you about inviting friends over?" Candi scolded.

"Free! Free!" They fluttered angrily, and began glowing white.

"Oh crap, Mew. Oh crap." I mumbled. Rui was looking unconcerned.

"CUBONE!" And she leapt into the midst of the glowing insects. I watched, stunned, as she methodically knocked down the bugs. She whipped her bone around and lashed out with her feet and legs. She was back to being a blur again, and I knew that all the human's heads were moving back and forth, trying desperately to follow her path.

"Butterfree!" They cried, and the few remaining shot off, decidedly unwilling to finish the fight. Cubone collapsed to the ground, and promptly went to sleep next to the heap of knocked out butterfree. I forced my jaw shut.

"What just happened?" Seth asked, looking as confused as I felt.

"I think... That Rui just took out a whole swarm of butterfree... Because of her-her sugar rush." I choked out.

"Sugar? Did someone say sugar?" Candi skipped over, chewing a fresh piece of gum. "Seth? Does this mean that I get some of your SECRET supply of chocolate?" She squealed and ran over to the tree. Seth groaned.

"Yeah, it's so secret, I didn't even know I had it." He muttered.

"Soph-a-loaf! Tell me where it is?"

"What? What makes you think I would-" I stopped. "Oh. Right. Sophie knows all. Almost forgot." Seth covered his laugh with a coughing fit. "But... I think we've had enough sugar for today, ya know?" A beeping noise came from my hoodie's pocket. "Huh?" I pulled out the red pokédex.

"Cubone. Nicknamed Rui. Trainer: Sophie Nigngng" I stared blankly at the pokédex as it failed to pronounce my last name. "Ngningi..."

"Get on with it." I told the machine.

"Nig... Moves learned: Rage." It clicked off. I looked over at Rui, who was breathing deeply. Looking at Candi I said tiredly,

"No sugar for pokémon. Okay?" She pouted.

"Fine. Wait... Did you say SUGAR?" I blinked, and said flatly,

"No. I didn't." _I lie. _

"Oh. Okay then!" She skipped away toward the heap of Butterfree. "Do _you_ know if Giratina's a guy?" Candi asked them, obviously expecting an answer. Seth's "coughing" fit hadn't subsided yet.

"You are so..." He didn't have to finish his sentence. I glared up at him.

"Hey, watch it boy. I'm not the one up a tree _again_." Seth stopped his coughing.

"Boy? I'm older than you!" I raised an eyebrow.

"How would you know?" I questioned.

"Because I'm ten times more awesome than you. Duh." He replied.

"Oh I cringe away from your high- awesomeness." I rolled my eyes and turned away. "Hey! What the hell? How'd you get your tent up so fast?" I stared numbly at the black and red tent he had set up. Not only had he set it up faster, but it looked like it was more complicated than mine.

"Like I told you. I'm ten times more awesome." He snickered. "I can't help it that you're hopeless with outdoor stuff." I gritted my teeth.

"I am so not hopeless!" Seth's snickering intensified.

"Which is why it took you an hour to set up your tiny little tent."

"And you're so awesome you're up a tree again. I wish I was that cool." I drawled.

"Oh shut up." Seth grumbled.

"Well, looks like you have to jump again." And I walked back to my tent to put on something more than just my swim suit and hoodie. Sepo was still clinging to my leg.

"Doom ba." She grunted. I changed and looked at the clock in the E-Poké. Quarter to six. Exiting through the flap, I walked over to Rui, who was still fast asleep. Picking her up carefully, I went back to the tent, placing her gently down on my sleeping bag.

"Okay Sepo. Let's go train." We left, Candi talking to KOed butterfrees, and Seth still dangling from the branch. This forest is driving me insane. We wandered through the forest for a while, battling more of the bug catchers that would never really amount to anything. After the pokédex chimed,

"Bulbasaur/Totodile. Nicknamed Super Evil Plant of Doom, or 'Sepo'. Trainer: Sophie Nigngin-" I whacked it. "Gn- Moves learned: Razor Leaf." We returned to the camp site, I dumbfounded at how even the pokédex thought Sepo was part totodile. Not only did Oak have to give me a messed up bulbasaur, he had to get me the only confused pokédex ever to have been created.

"Sophie! I'm hungry!" Candi came over to me with wide eyes. "Can we have dinner?" I scowled.

"Why do people always look to me for food? I can't cook." I said in exasperation.

"Well, Sophie. Let's face it. Candi would just feed us gum, and I don't feel like cooking." Seth said from behind me, and I whirled around.

"What, so I'm just supposed to make you all dinner because you _don't feel like cooking_?" I hissed. He shrugged.

"Yeah... Something like that." I began to throw a punch at his gut, but I stopped, and sighed.

"Look, boy. You're lazy. I get that. But this is freaking _ridiculous."_

"What?" Seth looked at me ignorantly.

"Just the fact that you are so desperate not to cook, that you're letting _me_ of all people do it for you." I sighed through my nose. "I haven't exactly graduated from culinary school." He grinned impishly.

"And you're say that I'd be a better chef?"

"Pretty much every one in Kanto is." I replied. "Sure, I can battle, with pokemon or my fists, but cooking and camping aren't my things. Just like getting out of trees isn't one of your... high points." Somehow I managed to turn the conversation back around to teasing him. Just like me to do that.

"Whatever you say..." He drifted off easily.

"Make yourself useful. Get a fire going." I said in defeat. "You're paying for dinner tomorrow."

"Huh? What?" But I was already walking away into the forest to find some berries for dinner. "Sophie!" He yelled, but I pretended not to hear. When I was out of eyesight of the camp, I bent over to look at Sepo.

"Hey girl. How good are you at finding berries?" She released my leg.

"Se ba sa sa." (Pretty good. Not as good as I am at biting things though.) Was the reply.

"Think you could lead me to some?"

"Saur doom!" She waddled off toward a dense undergrowth. I followed, pushing branches out of my way. She stopped in front of a large bush, or maybe it was a small tree, which was loaded with tamato berries.

"Woo. You're good." I praised her as I filled my belt pouches with the large berries.

"Ba!" (Come here!) She commanded and walked off. Raising my eyebrows, I followed. She led me deeper into the undergrowth. "Bu." (Over there). She shoved her head forward to indicate about twenty feet ahead. This time the bush was laden with cornn berries.

"You know, once you get past the obsessive leg-chomping thing, you're not too bad." I told her. Her red eyes widened happily.

"DOOM!" And, guess what, she bit right back down on my leg. Sepo let out a stream of pokéspeak that I couldn't even begin to translate it was so muffled. I groaned,

"Spoke too soon." Plucking the ripe berries I returned to Seth and Candi, who were arguing.

"No! Fire's need to be built up like this!" Seth demonstrated the twisting of the stick into a block of wood. A feint wisp of smoke emerged after a second. "See?" Candi frowned stubbornly.

"Un-uh." She shook her head. "You use a switch to turn it on! Like the fireplace at home!" I blanched. Candi was so... Adjectives failed me. The only phrase that I could think of to describe her was "Candi-like". She's in a league of her own.

"Candi! This isn't your house! This is the Viridian Forest! I don't see why I have to make the fire anyway."

"NOOOOOOO! Use the switch!" Candi demanded. Seth rolled his eyes.

"What switch?"

"I don't know. It's got to be around here somewhere..." Candi tottered off. I stepped forward.

"Candi! Get back here, and leave that Metapod alone!" I commanded. She turned, surprised.

"Oh! Soph-a-loaf is back! Yay! Seth! Look! It's SOPHIE!" She ran up and hugged me.

"Urf... Candi..." I grunted. Seth chuckled.

"That's what you get for making me light the fire."

"That has nothing to do with anything in this forest. Except that pile of firewood." I replied. He muttered something, and went back to building the fire. I dusted off a rock and placed the berries down. "Candi, you want to go get some sticks?"

"Yay! I have something to do! Come on Meowth! We can find some SHINY sticks!" Candi giggled and skipped off with her Meowth.

"Um..." Seth and I watched as she began humming tunelessly.

"Alright then..." I sighed.

"Do I have to build the fire?" Seth started.

"Yes." I said simply, and reclined against the rock. He groaned again.

"But it's so-"

"Hey, Sepo!" I said, interrupting him. Seth shut his mouth. "Never mind." I smiled slightly. Maybe Sepo wasn't so bad after all.

Candi returned soon after Seth got the fire started. We speared the berries onto the sticks ("Do _these_ have a chocolaty center?" "Whatever. Just eat."), and roasted them over the fire. Dusk had descended and Seth smiled deviously.

"Let's tell ghost stories!" He suggested, and Candi squealed in fear, clutching my arm. I laughed.

"Sure. I don't know any good ones though."

"That's fine. I got a whole repertoire." He responded. Candi gasped.

"Are they all scary?" She asked, and Seth and I laughed, I saying,

"No Candi, not at all."

"Oh. Okay then!" Seth looked at me.

"Seriously. She doesn't understand sar-" He stopped himself, remembering what had happened the last time he had said "sarcasm".

"Whatever. Just go." I replied, and leaned in closer to listen.

"Fine. Once, in a small city not too far from this forest..." Seth began telling one of the most horrifying tales I had ever heard. I loved every second of it. Candi was slowly clenching my arm tighter and tighter, until her knuckles were white and my arm was tingling. The story went on, one frightening thing after the other until he finished, and Candi was on the brink of cracking. I glanced at her, adding,

"...and they ran out of gum."

"NO!" She gasped, and buried her face in my hoodie. "That's horrible! Sophie, will you protect me from all the evil gum-snatchers?" Seth blinked.

"That... wasn't really the point of the story, Candi girl." She shrugged at his words.

"But it was the most terrifying thing!" Something scrabbled up my arm and I flinched, still thinking of the story. I looked and saw a tired looking Rui sitting on my shoulder again.

"It was a good story Seth, really." I said to him, "I got goosebumps, see?" I held my arm up to the fire, upon which the goosebumps promptly vanished from the heat. "Oops... Well I did. Seriously. It was scary."

"Thanks..." Seth yawned and added, "I'm going to sleep now... Night Sophie... Candi..." And he drifted off to his tent.

"Alright Candi. I'm going to turn in too." She looked at me with wide eyes.

"Turn into what, Sophie?"

"Wha...? No. I'm just going to bed." I shook my head slightly and kicked dirt over the fire, putting it out.

"Oh. Nighty night!" Candi trilled and joined her Meowth in her pink and white tent. After a second she stuck her head out. "Can we sue the rice ball company tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Fine." I said, and ducked into my tent. I fell asleep almost as soon as I had closed my eyes.

* * *

I dreamed. It was odd, perhaps hearing the ghost story made it so. Here's how it went.

_I was sitting on a volcanic rock, the sharp edges somehow not bothering me. I was waiting for something, though my head wasn't entirely sure what. There was a crunch of pumice being walked on, and I looked to see the deceased family Ninetales walking toward where I sat._

_"Em?" I asked, unsure. "Is that you?"_

_"Yes. It is." She answered, sitting in front of me. My dream self was unsurprised by her speaking english. _

_"How are you?" Em frowned, and said,_

_"I could be better."_

_"How so? Isn't the afterlife supposed to be nice?" My face was puzzled._

_"It is. But there are other things." She looked right into my eyes._

_"What things?" I had cared for the Ninetales, but I hadn't thought of her much after her death._

_"It's hard to explain. Care for a cookie?" _

And from there everything just got weird.

* * *

I woke up, the taste of cookie lingering for a second before disappearing. Rubbing my eyes with one hand, I popped out of my sleeping bag. Rui and Sepo had been sleeping near my head, and they looked up sleepily as I stretched.

"Morning girls." I rasped, my voice not used to being used. I cleared my throat.

"Ru."

"Po!" Rui and Sepo shook themselves out.

"Let's go." I unzipped the tent flap and went out to begin my morning exercises. Seth and Candi came out of their respective tents to find me doing push ups.

"You sure you're not obsessive?" Seth asked, shivering a little in the morning chill.

"Positive." I replied, and we ate some of the leftover berries for breakfast. We pulled down the tents (it was so much easier taking them down, but putting them into their bag is a nightmare to say the least).

"Need help?" Seth smirked as I snapped,

"No. Go away." Candi was brushing her hair, humming and tapping her feet to a rhythm only she could hear. When I finally stored the tent back in the laptop, Seth was taking a nap. "Get up!" I yelled, and began walking out of the forest. Candi walked alongside me. She smothered her giggles as she very obviously tapped my opposite shoulder. "What do you want?" I asked. Her giggles increased, as she tried to look innocent.

"What are you talking about Soph-a-loaf?"

"Oh nothing. You couldn't _possibly_ have tapped me on my shoulder." I said, forgetting once again that Candi doesn't understand sarcasm.

"Right!" She gave me a side long glance and tapped me again. I exhaled sharply through my nose. Today was going to be another long day.

We somehow made it out after a couple of hours, Seth and I somewhat united in our similar annoyance at Candi.

"Argh... I can't believe Candi is a _breeder_." Seth groaned after having to battle another bug catcher.

"Yeah... Really." I changed the subject. "You got enough money for a room tonight?" He pulled out the roll of cash, and counted it.

"I think so... I can't afford another Viridian Inn though." I snorted.

"Bummer. The shampoo was really nice."

"Huh?" He looked confused for a second. "Oh yeah... It was, wasn't it?"

"Yup." We walked down the streets, searching for an affordable looking hotel. Candi was darting everywhere, distracted by the shiny sun spots, complaining loudly every time they "ran away". Reaching a relatively clean establishment, Seth held open the door for Candi and me. This was your everyday inn, nothing spectacular, filled with those flowers and potted plants to complement the light beige furniture. The man at the (wooden) reception counter looked like he had just graduated the university and wanted to grab some coffee. As soon as we reached him, he said,

"Three small trainer suites?" Seth closed his mouth and nodded.

"Alright then..." The man typed on the keyboard, giving us each a bill to sign and a room key. "Hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you random man behind the counter!" Candi squealed and ran to the elevator, frantically pressing the button.

"Sorry..." Seth muttered, and ran to prevent Candi breaking the button.

"Um, thanks." I said lamely, and joined Seth in the battle against Candi.

The room was plainly furnished, matching the lobby below. I collapsed on the bed and clicked on the TV, flicking through the channels, talking to myself randomly.

"Contests... Be better if they weren't beginner class... My Little Ponyta? I don't think so..." I stopped as I saw the screen bounce around wildly as some girl shouted,

"No! Point towards me, not the tree! Alright right there!" A happy girl with light purple hair came onto the screen, but I wasn't looking at her. More, I was focused on the two boys in the background. Two words fell from my mouth.

"Holy. Shit."

* * *

***Author's Note* Okay, even if you all hated it, I loved writing it. Probably my favorite chapter yet. Whatever, go and flame me for butterfrees attacking everyone, I do not care in the slightest. And about reviews. I know there are a lot of you out there who read this, but don't review. I'm just going to say that the more reviews I get, the faster I update. Just to let you all know that. Anonymous reviews are, in fact, enabled. So knock yourselves out.**

**"Belief at Dawn" I know, I keep saying this, but these chapters have some very funny parts, along with a socially naive kid (who you don't want to _not_ read about). I love it and J. Whitnee's writing. She's also doing a "Pokémon ABC", that's going to be filled with short stories. Please do one for her! So far only a couple people have volunteered, and the story is going to need more than that. **

**Thanks to those who reviewed, you're really encouraging me to keep writing this fic. You guys (and the OCs you submitted) are awesome. Speaking of OCs, guess what, I think I'm going to have another main come in soon, so KEEP THEM COMING! I'm going to look at all the OCs that were submitted and make a choice about the next main by the time our current band gets to Mt. Moon. Already submitted one, but had a genius idea? Send in another! (Note on OCs: I'm not going to take any "champion" business. I need mains to grow, not already be better than everyone. No super epic/ overused pokemon either, however, the OC pokemon already submitted might be excepted from that, but it depends.)**

**And also, if you have any problems with a thirteen year old cussing and the like, thinking that they don't know that stuff, I know for a fact that they do. Just in case you needed to know.**

**J. Whitnee and I also have some AWESOMELY EPIC PLANS (aka A.E.P.) for the chapters in the far off future. Believe me, you'll know when they happen. So stay tuned!  
**


	10. Chapter 9: Repitition

_**Chapter Nine: Repetition **_

* * *

I watched dumbfounded as Yoshi and a random blond kid in a suit slowly (well, not really) and utterly (yes, really) destroyed Celadon Square. All the while the girl, holding a pen in front of her face like a microphone, narrated the battle. Too busy watching the battle, all I noticed about the girl was her stylish, yet still practical, choice of clothing. The blond kid was giving Yoshi the battle of a lifetime, and he obviously was caught off guard. I stood up and ran from my room to Candi's, barging in through the unlocked door.

"Did you just see what I saw?" I almost yelled. Candi looked up.

"What did you see SOPHIE?" She watched me, eyes wide.

"It was dino boy!"

"WHERE?" I didn't even bother to smack my head into my palm.

"Come ON!" I tugged her into my room where the TV was still on. The girl with the pen had been replaced by a real newscaster who was sitting in front of two pictures.

"-toward Route 7." The woman finished and the screen was filled with the two pictures. One was obviously a younger Yoshi. A cleaner, trimmer Yoshi. The caption next to him read: _Yoshiro Kaname. Currently age 17. (Picture provided by Paranana Training Academy, age 15)._ The other was of a dark eyed, dark haired boy of about my age, caption reading: _Broly Banes. Currently aged 17. (Picture provided by Vermilion Orphanage Center, Age 13)._ I raised my eyebrows. That sure didn't look like the blond boy. I jumped slightly as Seth flew into the room.

"Did you just see what I saw?" He asked. Deja vu. I nodded mutely. Candi squealed,

"What did you see SETH?"

"Yoshi! And a blonde kid!"

"WHERE?" And this time, a head into the palm was unavoidable. Seth looked back at the TV, but the report had ended, and it was now showing a commercial for the "iSitrus", a mini E-Poké.

"Pf. Noobs." I muttered and clicked off the TV. I looked around and suddenly realized everyone was in the small hotel room. "This room is smaller than I thought." Seth nodded and turned to leave, paused, and said,

"Am I still paying for dinner?"

"Yeah, boy. You are." I said, and pushed Candi out of the room. I looked over at Rui and Sepo, who were on the bed.

"Po po doom sa." (Pillows aren't crunchy).

"Bone..." (If you don't kill the professor for this, I get dibs, Sophie.)

"So this is why I didn't bother to catch anymore pokémon..." I muttered, and said, slightly louder, "Let's check out the gym, girls." Sepo, who was trying to crunch on Rui's bone, squealed happily,

"BUL!" And hopped down to her usual place on my calf.

"Ru." (You so favor her.)

"And I would favor you if you were retarded."

"BASAUR!" (At least I'm a HAPPY retard).

"I don't think I'm translating you guys right..." I muttered, and held out my arm to help Rui climb on.

"Cu ru. Bone bone." (Don't whine to me about how bad your translations are.)

"That's it. I'm ignoring you guys." Sighing lightly, I left the hotel room, making sure to lock the door behind me. Believe it or not, a biting bulbasaur is really hard to ignore.

The gym building was an impressive glass structure accented with rocks and large light up words that said: _Pewter City Gym_. Walking inside, I found a reception desk and some waiting chairs, along with two doors. One labeled "_Spectators_" and the other "_Challengers_". Instead of a woman at the desk, there was a computer monitor reading:

_**Welcome to the Pewter City Gym, home of the hard-as-rock leader Brock. Please use this computer to sign up for your challenge! **_

I raised my eyebrow. Is it always this deserted? I found myself thinking, and was interrupted by the loud noise of grinding rock and a wild cheer. That would explain things. I flexed my fingers and looked at the time table.

"Think we're going to be ready by tomorrow?" I asked the pokémon.

"Doom!" (Yay! Bite bite!).

"Ru-ee bo." (Finally. I need more ass to kick.) I looked at her, surprised that pokémon's mouths weren't clean as they always seemed to be.

"Alright then..." I muttered and entered my trainer ID into the nine o clock box, and the computer dinged obnoxiously. "Cool." I looked over at the door. "Hm... Let's see." I walked into the spectators sections. The roars of the crowd hit me like a hammer and I flinched. I sat on one of the metal benches and peered down at the battle. The gym leader's geodude was getting utterly destroyed by the challenger's squirtle.

"Alright! Rapid spin and water gun, Squirtle!" A deep voice ordered, slightly cracking at "spin". My breath hitched in my throat. That voice could only belong to... Reizu Unimportant. The combination completely covered the rock pokémon in water, and it roared in fury before fainting. The crowd's clapping reached a climax as I realized that Snorlax boy had just earned his Boulder Badge. Damn. I left quickly.

"Saur ba!" (Hey! It's that guy with the funny voice that we lost to!)

"Oon." (Aren't you encouraging?).

"Shut up, and let's train." I grumbled at both of them. I walked over past the forests and to the path to Mt. Moon. An afternoon of battling trainers and I was confident in our chances at winning. Hell, I had a Ground _and_ a Plant pokémon against the gym leader's Rock pokémon. Ha. He didn't stand a chance.

I went back to the hotel, and saw Seth and Candi in the lobby. They were sitting across from each other in the armchairs, Meowth curled up happily in Candi's lap. Seth had his head back, and was talking to Candi about something. I walked over and sat down in the free chair, hearing Seth say,

"-not to mention that you nearly broke the elevator button." Candi wasn't paying any attention, absorbed in her copy of _**A Breeder's Digest**_. "Now I have to pay for dinner tonight." Seth ranted on and Candi looked up at me.

"Sophie! Which should be bred: A vibrava and dratini, or a psyduck and a horsea?" The two different pictures in my head were not pretty, a six-legged dratini and a psyduck with a horsea head.

"Neither." I replied firmly. "Do a... Bulbasaur and... another bulbasaur." Candi pouted.

"But that's not fun."

"Is it supposed to be?" I asked, having always thought that breeding was monotonous.

"Yup!" She giggled and flipped through some more pages. "Oh! Lookie lookie!" I expected her to show me some amazing pokémon, but instead she was pointing at an advertisement for the "Pewter City Soda Fountain". "Soph-a-loaf, can we go there PLEASE?" Seth, who had been ranting on to himself until now, tilted his head back forward.

"Oh. Sophie's here. Why don't you stop her from raiding the Fountain, Sophie, I'm tired of trying to control her." He sighed pitifully to himself. "Haven't been able to flirt with a girl in... How long has it been now? Two days?"

"_What_ a shame." I drawled and looked at Candi. "Seth will take you to the ice cream parlor."

"No! Seth will not take mentally unstable girl to the ice cream parlor!" He said, sitting bolt upright.

"SETH! Seth is taking me out for ice cream!" Candi sang, and Seth ran to the elevator, pushing the button multiple times, dancing around like he had to pee. "Wait for me, Seth! Hey! That rhymes with Beth! Wait up Beth!" And she ran over to him.

"Or meth." I muttered, making sure that Candi didn't hear. Hell, I wasn't even sure if she knew half the english language.

"Bo-one?" Rui asked curiously.

"No, you're not going to have any of that anytime soon. I would hate to think what drugs would do if sugar already makes you go crazy." I told her. "So... What are we going to do now?"

"Bulba!" Sepo suggested (Hang out in the room like bums and chew on the fancy sheets!)

"Cu." (Girl, you're enough of a bum already.)

"Bu-"

"Come on guys. How are we ever going to beat the Indigo League if you guys are always _fighting like little kids_?" I hissed. There was a pause.

"Se." (I _am_ a little kid.) Well, this calls for a face to the palm.

"I am so going to kill Professor Oak." I muttered, and went over to the elevator as Candi was dragging Seth out to the parlor.

"I don't even have money!" I distinctly heard him complain.

"No worries, Beth! I have money!" And Candi pulled out a large roll of cash. Seth's jaw dropped.

"What? Where did that come from?" She giggled.

"My sisters. _And_ Meowth finds money _everywhere_." Seth and I traded looks.

"That's it. I'm getting a Meowth." I muttered, and left Seth with Candi.

"My name is NOT Beth!" Was the last thing I heard before the elevator doors slid shut. Back in my room, I pulled of the hoodie and belt, placing them on the desk. I stretched and turned the TV back on, flipping through the provided channels to one of the Colosseum channels, featuring battle between a Raichu and an Arcanine. I watched it intently, the two were evenly matched. As they traded attacks, my eyes flickered back and forth, utterly absorbed in the fight, which is why I jumped when the door knob rattled viciously.

"What?" I called, forcing my heart beat to slow.

"Sophie! Help me!" Seth. "Candi! She's going to- argh!"

"Beth! Why did you run away from MEEEEEEE?"

"SOPHIE!" He yelled once again, and I sighed. Too bad the TV here didn't have Tevo. Thinking that it would probably be best not to let the person paying for dinner die, I left the room to help Seth. Seeing them running up and down the hall, one trying to catch the other, I said to Rui,

"This is one of those times I question the meaning of life."

"Bone..." She agreed, watching the odd scene. I stuck out my hand and grabbed Seth, effectively halting him.

"No! I'm gonna die!" He yelped.

"I need ICE CREAM!" Candi yelled, running over.

"Right. Listen. I'm sick of this. Yes, I'm evil, sarcastic, and nasty, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm fed up with this!" I snarled. "Candi, you need to shut up occasionally. Seth, you have to do something for us all eventually. Or I go solo!" I finished my rant, and immediately felt like I needed a caffeine shot. Both were just staring at me like a deer in the head lights. I released Seth's arm and turned away, walking back to my room. Candi's voice floated to meet my ears.

"So... Does this mean no ice cream?" I clenched my fist, knuckles white, but held my tongue. Trying very hard not to slam the door, I went back to my room. Sepo had stayed there, gnawing on the comforters as she had promised earlier. Flicking the TV back on, I sighed. The battle had been finished while I was losing my temper.

The next day, I woke at my usual hour to do my usual exercises. Nothing unusual about this start to the day. I had half a mind to catch a Nidoran, but after looking at the two pokémon already with me, I decided against it. At this rate I was never going to get a new pokémon. There were a couple of other early rising trainers (though not a lot) that I was able to get some last minute practice in with. I guess it was a good thing that none of the trainers sent me to the pokécenter.

At around eight, I returned to the hotel for breakfast, Sepo was complaining loudly about her empty stomach. Candi and Seth had either already eaten, or were still sleeping. Piling a plate high with berries for Rui and Sepo, I grabbed a mini baguette and a glass of Mago and Pinap berry juice. Settling at a table, I slowly chewed my food and toyed with the glass. Sepo and Rui seemed to be fighting over the Cheri berries, and their calls drew attention from the other diners.

"Cube! Ru-bone!" (I'm your elder! I get first pick of the berries!)

"Se Doom bul!" (I'm cooler, so I get first pick!)

"Bo!" (What do berries have to do with being cooler?)

"Saur!" (Everything!) Sepo had her vines wrapped around the berry as Rui struggled to keep it in her hands. Scowling, I reached over and snatched the berry from both of them, popping it into my own mouth. They exchanged glances.

"Bo-cu." (I was just waiting for that to happen.)

"Do." (Yeah. Oh my ARCEUS! THERE'S ONE LEFT!) And the fighting started all over again. Hands closed over my eyes and an unmistakable giggle escaped the mouth of the person holding me, as she hissed,

"Seth! Say 'guess who'."

"No." Came another voice.

"Come on! Otherwise she'll know who it is!" The whispering was slowly but surely getting louder.

"I thought Sophie already knew everything."

"She does! Which is why you have to say 'guess who'." A long pause.

"That didn't make any sense at all, Candi." I muttered. Candi released me.

"Hey! How did you know it was me?" I remained silent, and Seth said,

"I still can't believe I had to pay for dinner." What an amazing way to start out the day. I popped the last bit of bread into my mouth and took a large gulp of juice.

"Suck it up." I told him when my mouth was empty. "Are you going to challenge the gym leader, Seth?"

"What gym- Oh. Right. Have to do that... Why do you ask?" I shrugged, and replied,

"Nothing much. Just figured I'd ask since I'm going to the gym in about, oh, ten minutes." He choked.

"When did you sign up?"

"Um... Right after I kicked you and Candi out of my room, I think."

"Argh... I guess I was watching _PokéBattle_ right about then..." His eyes drifted off. "That was one hell of an episode... I need to get that on tape. Hm. Better come with you and sign up." Seth went off dreamily to get a croissant. Candi clapped her hands energetically.

"Oh! Soph-a-loaf is going to get a SHINY badge! Will you share with ME?" I sighed.

"Go get a Teddiursa claw or something." Her eyes shone even brighter (if that was at all possible).

"YAYS! SUGAR! Did you hear that Meowth? We get SUGAR!" She shrieked ran to the pastry bar, managing to upset several tables in the process.

"That should be a sport: Table Bowling. Candi would actually be good at something." I said to Rui, who was sulkily watching as Sepo munched on the last of the Cheri berries.

"Bo..." (Why, Sophie? Why did she have to get _the last Cheri berry_?) I rolled my eyes, and stood.

"Seth, let's go. You coming Candi?" Following my orders, she had picked up no, not one, but three of the cinnamon-y Teddiursa claws.

"Yesh shoph-ah-woaf!" She said as she chewed the pastry. Seth had polished of his croissant at record speed, a feat that I wouldn't have thought him capable of.

"Yeah... Ready Sandshrew?" The little pokémon was riding piggyback style on his back, clinging to his shoulders.

"Shrew!" Taking that as a yes, Seth and I walked out of the hotel. When I realized that Candi wasn't following, I stuck my head back into the lobby.

"Come here, Candi!" She trotted obediently over to us.

"Good girl." Seth said with a grin.

"Me not a poochyena! Me like a meowth!" And she let out a strangled noise that was supposed to be a meowth purr. Honestly it sounded like she should have gone to the bathroom earlier.

"Right. I'm going." I wheeled around and walked off to the gym, my companions trailing behind me.

"Stop walking so fast!"

Walking into the gym, I saw that I was just in time. The clock had just flicked to nine.

"Um... Good luck?" Seth half asked.

"Thanks." I said, nodding to him.

"Yay! Get the SHINY badge!" Candi screamed and hugged me.

"I like how you always emphasize the word 'shiny'." I uttered beneath my breath.

"WHERE'S THE SHINY?" I swallowed and said,

"I'm going now..." And walked through the door labeled, _challengers_. On the other side was the arena I had seen yesterday, polished wood and boulders. Clapping reached my ears and I saw a few people in the stands, cheering. _Well, that's nice of them._ I thought, and looked over at the gym leader. He stood across the floor from me, hands crossed over chest, eyes perpetually closed. Creepy. His black spiked hair must have taken a lot of gel, though it wasn't obviously visible.

"So... Sophie En-guh? Nh-gi? Um..." Brock's rough exterior was fading quickly. "Lessee... In- no that's not it."

"Ng." I said.

"Really? Okay then. Sophie Nggg..." He dragged the name out. "Are you ready to battle?"

"No. That's why I signed up for this time slot. So I wouldn't be ready." I sighed, sarcasm getting a hold of my tongue.

"Alright then. Do you know the rules?" I nodded, but he said anyway, "Very well, two pokémon each, one on one, if you win you earn the Boulder Badge!" More fanfare. "Now! Send out your first pokémon!"

"Rui! Go!" I said sharply. She leapt off her perch and landed a few feet in front of me.

"Very well. I choose you, Geodude!" A pokéball flashed through the air and released the living rock.

"Geo!" It growled, rolling forward. I smirked.

"Bonemerang and Focus Energy!" I yelled, and she threw her bone before becoming enveloped in a red energy, charging power.

"Roll out of the way and Rock Throw!" The Geodude rolled to the side, narrowly missing the bone's first path. It grabbed a rock from the arena floor and lobbed it at Rui.

"Smash it!" I said quickly, and she delivered a hard kick to the rock, shattering it. Her bone looped around and flew back for a second try at the Geodude.

"Defense Curl!" Brock said, seeing the bone coming back at his pokémon. It curled into a ball, trying valiantly to stop the super-effective attack. There was a loud _crack_ and the bone hit its torso, spinning off and landing back in Rui's hand. I gave a half smile.

"Fancy. Now, Bone Club!"

"Rollout!" The two pokémon rushed forward, the Geodude spinning wildly, and Rui wielding her weapon.

"Flip to the side and Tail whip as it passes!" I ordered.

"Follow it!" Was the opponent's response. The Geodude changed directions, and I thought irritably, _I didn't think they were able to do that..._ Rui spun on the balls of her feet and whacked the pokémon firmly with her tail, slowing its path.

"Nice! Now quick, follow up with Bone Club!" She obeyed and another crack echoed against the polished floors, blending with the cheers of the watchers.

"Abort and Rock Tomb!" The gym leader looked worried at the state of its pokémon. It shook itself and glowed a brown-yellow that reminded me sickeningly of pee. The boulders near it trembled as they slowly freed themselves from the ground.

"Steady Rui!" I said, carefully watching the rocks. "Wait for it!" The rocks were now hovering above her. "Headbutt! Now!" I yelled as the rocks began to fall. She charged forward like a Tauros, colliding with the Geodude in a cloud of dust. Smiling, I had a feeling that it was going to turn out well. I wouldn't have done anyting like that with another pokémon, but with Rock Head, I had a feeling that Rui was going to be okay.

The dust from the Headbutt settled, and Rui was back in her ready stance, the geodude trembling, but still standing. It was obvious that it was at the end of its line. Brock was frowning.

"Alright then! This means Selfdestruct!" He called. I blanched. The rock pokémon's trembling magnified ten fold, and I shouted what I would do if I was in that position.

"Take cover behind the rocks! Hurry!" She dove behind a nearby boulder as the Geodude unleashed the most powerful blast I had ever seen. "Argh!" I covered my face with my arm as chunks of rock flew all over the field. Red and orange lights danced behind my closed lids. I could feel dust in the back of my throat and I coughed, trying to get rid of the gritty feeling. The flares subsided and I opened my eyes. The opponent's geodude was lying in a faint amidst a circle of destruction. All the boulders within a twenty foot radius of it had been destroyed, pulverized into small pebbles. I looked around for Rui, who was standing, slightly stunned but not too injured, behind a pile of rocks. I let out a breath of relief. The crowd was going wild with the incredible display.

"Geodude, return." Brock held out his pokéball and the pokémon vanished into it.

"C'mere Rui." I called softly, and she walked over, swaying slightly as she tried to clear her head. "Awesome job." She nodded and settled gratefully down on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw that Brock had pulled out his second pokéball.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready!" I replied, and added, "Go! Sepo!" She bounded off my leg and into the arena.

"Sepo!" She squealed. "Dooooooooom ba!" The leader smirked.

"Cute, but can it stand against Onix?" He threw the ball and the massive rock snake exploded out of it. It kept growing and growing.

"Oh... Crap, Arceus. What was Mew thinking?" I said under my breath as I looked up at the thirty foot tall monstrosity. "Mew just couldn't make it cute."

"Groar!" It roared, and the whole building shook.

"YAY! CRUSH THE BIIIIIIIG ROCK SOPH-A-LOAF!" I'm pretty sure that only Candi has the ability to be heard over a massive rock's roars. I think that Seth yelled something as well, but it was probably just to shut Candi up. To my surprise, Sepo was completely at ease, and trying to strike up a conversation with the Onix,

"Bu bul bu. Ur sa doom?" (So, overly large pebble, what's you favorite kind of Poffin?)

"GROAR!"

"Saur?" (That's a flavor?)

"Sepo! Cut the small talk! Razor Leaf!" I called, my hands ready to cover my ears in the case that the Onix would roar again.

"Bind it!" Was the opposing command. Sepo spun and stood on her hind legs so that her bulb was facing the pokémon. It opened slightly and leaves fired from it, spinning faster than the eye could see. The Onix was reaching forward with his tail, twining around Sepo as the leaves sliced it. It roared again, and I barely managed to cover my ears. "Keep squeezing Onix!" Brock yelled, his voice nearly drowned in the roar.

"Vine Whip, and if it lets go, attack its head!" Her vines shot out, glowing almost imperceptibly, as they smacked the coils that bound her. It released her sharply and I yelled, "Its head! Its head!" Her vines stretched to their limit and wrapped around the triangle protruding from Onix's head. Similarly to how she rode Reizu's Scyther, she jumped onto the pokémon's head, biting down on the triangle.

"Groah?" The Onix grunted, looking cross-eyed at the tiny pokémon biting it.

"Po..." Sepo growled when the rock didn't give, and bit down harder.

"GROAH!" It screeched in surprise as a chunk of rock was spat out of Sepo's mouth. She had just bit through solid rock. I gulped. That was terrifying.

"Stun Spore!" I yelled up at Sepo, hoping to draw her attention away from eating the gym leader's pokémon. "Into its face!" Like a rock climber, she rappelled down with her vines. She twisted and sent a little puff of yellow powder into its face.

"Rock Tomb!" Brock shouted as the Onix slowly began to keel over, unable to move. It shook with the effort of using the move, but it too managed to turn the color of pee. Whatever rocks had survived the previous explosion began to rise and form a circle around Sepo.

"Get out of there!" I cried, and she leaped off the Onix's head. But I had given the command too late. She had been able to get free of the main attack, but one of the rocks caught her as she was flying past, hitting her hard in the side.

"Bulba!" She screamed as she plummeted to the ground.

"Vine Whip! Grab something!" My voice crack with nerves. She followed my orders beautifully, with only one problem. She grabbed onto me. "Ahhh!" Sepo slammed into my chest, knocking me onto my back. My head hit the ground hard, and blackness flickered at the edges of my vision. Growling, I forced it back and stood up shakily, Sepo in my arms, and a very started Rui around my neck.

"Bo bo!" She bit my hand in what she must have thought a fond way, and jumped down, ready to battle again. I rubbed my head.

"Leech Seed." I grumbled, trying to ignore the random spasms of pain that shot through my skull. She waddled forward and sent the seeds at the pokémon.

"Iron Tail, Onix!"

"Why," I began grumpily, "Does everyone have TMs?" The Onix's tail turned a cool gray as it lashed out at Sepo.

"Dodge!" I said, still not yelling. Both my throat and head were in too much pain for that. Sepo jumped out of the way. "Good, now Razor Leaf to finish it off!" What I hadn't been paying attention to was how the Onix's tail was still shining. And that it was coming back at my bulbasaur. "Aw... What the hell Mew?" I muttered, head too fuzzy to do anything effective. But Sepo was a step ahead. She fired the leaves and then smacked the tail with her Vine Whip, stopping the attack from hitting her. "Oh. Good job! Keep it up!" I called, more than a little lamely.

"Rage Onix!" Smart. His pokémon was continually being hit.

"Hold back and dodge!" I said, seeing that Onix would soon be finished by the Leech Seed. She hopped back to sit down a yard or so in front of me.

"GROAH!" Onix snarled, in Rage, and sprang to attack. Sepo sat there patiently, watching as it drew closer and closer.

"Um... Dodge anytime now." I looked down at the calm pokémon, who continued to sit. "Uh... Kanto to Sepo? Big rock closing in." She ignored me, still sitting.

"Groa?" The Onix looked confused for a moment, then collapsed, the Leech Seed having taken its toll. The crowd burst into cheers, and I walked to Brock, my feet feeling disconnected from my brain.

"Congratulations! I hereby award you and your pokémon this Boulder Badge in recognition of your talents!" He said, holding out the shiny badge.

"Thanks." I smiled a little, but stopped when it hurt my jaw.

"I hope you continue to better yourself and eventually challenge the Elite Four of the Indigo League!" He shook my hand firmly, and I exited the arena, with only one thought in my head. _I need a root beer.

* * *

_

***Author's Note* Yay! One badge down! Reviews were scarce at the last chapter, and I was bummed! I need more feed back people! **

**I am still looking at all the OCs, so if you have your genius idea, please send it on in! All the OCs are pretty amazing, and I'm having a hard time choosing, so make yours stand out! Well, that was a lot of exclamation points.  
**

**Anyway, "Belief at Dawn" will make your weekend! Read about a girl who sucks at going undercover! WOO!  
**

**Um... I think that's all until next chapter! Hope you liked!**


	11. Chapter 10: New Profession: Lawyer

_**Chapter Ten: New Profession: Lawyer**_

* * *

After allowing Candi to pull me to the Soda Fountain, I went back to the Gym, large root beer in hand, ready to watch Seth's match against Brock. Candi was behind me humming happily, slurping a no, not large, but mega-sized slushie. Her Meowth had followed suit, Candi having bought her a large (not mega) slushie as well. Seth had requested that he bring him back a coke, and I had complied. Hell, even Seth doesn't need any stress before his first official gym battle. I carried his soda in my hand as I contemplated our next step.

Cerulean was the obvious choice, but the how and when were the important bits. Seth would probably want to stay for another month or so before moving on, and Candi would pretty much go wherever as long as there was something shiny in it for her. Straw in mouth, I tugged on Candi's arm, directing her to the Pokécenter where I was going to drop off Sepo and Rui. She nodded, and tripped over her Meowth, who had already tripped over something else. Rolling my eyes, I walked through the sliding doors of the Pokécenter. A boy was already in front of the nurse, crying about his Pidgey, which had failed (really? I thought they were all powerful) against Brock's pokémon.

"No worries! Just a few minor bruises! We'll have him fixed up in no time!" The nurse told the frantic boy. I covered a smirk. That woman could lie through her teeth. It was obvious that the Pidgey was going to be asleep for a _long_ time. I waited impatiently as the boy continued to freak out. The pink-haired woman looked up. "Be with you in a moment! Chansey!" She called the last word over the intercom. "Would you come and help me with the next patient?"

"Chansey! Cha- chansey!" The doors to the healing center beyond opened and a Chansey floated over. "Chansey!" I nodded to Rui and Sepo, and told them,

"Go with the freaky pink thing."

"CHANSEY!" It growled "frighteningly" at me. I just continued to look at whatever was on the walls.

"Ru." Rui went to stand beside the chansey, Sepo following them. Before the doors shut again, I caught a glimpse of Sepo attacking the Chansey's egg. _You go girl!_ I though happily and left the building. Candi was waiting outside, discussing something serious with her Meowth. As I drew nearer, I realized just how important it was.

"First the rice ball makers, and now the _soda fountains_." She was saying. "All of them claim to have a chocolaty center, and yet _they keep forgetting to put the chocolate in the center_!" Her Meowth nodded gravely.

"Meow! Me-Mew!" Candi's face lightened.

"You're right! We did almost forget to sue them! That's why I LOVE you Meowth!" She squeezed the pokémon tightly.

"Me!" She purred and Candi jumped up to look at me.

"Meowth has a point! No, three points! No, ninety two points! Wait." She frowned. "Soph-a-loaf, what comes after one?" I almost took a step back.

"Gee, I don't know. What a conundrum." I groaned, eyes half closed. Then they flew open. _Oh crap. Did I just say a big word in fron-_

"Soph-a-loaf! What does conunqu- no... congrun- that's not it. WAIT FOR IT!" I jumped as she yelled. "WAIT... CRAWDAUNT! Yay! Candi is smarticles!" She danced around, then stopped. "Sophie... Do the popsicle makers also forget the chocolaty center?"

"Oh yes." I nodded seriously. "All the time." I realized what I had just said. "Oh no..." I muttered. "Please Jirachi... Let it end quickly!"

"This is a crisis!" Candi exclaimed. "But Meowth and I have a plan!"

"Meowth!" The cat nodded in agreement.

"We are... going to sue the rice ball makers, the popsicle makers, _and_-" She took a deep breath. "the slushie makers!" She was quivering with excitement now. "And that isn't even the best part. Soph-a-loaf, you get to be our..." She paused for dramatic music that would never come. Frowning, she said, "... and the dramatic music makers while we are at it. Anyways, you are our..." Candi paused again. I sighed.

"Just say it." And I braced myself.

"You get to be our... DUM DUM DA DA!" She created her own "dramatic music", "LAWYER!" And she did a little victory dance. I swallowed.

"Right. I'm going now..." And I jogged off to the gym, sodas still in hand.

"Wait! Sophieeeee!" She tried to run after me, tripping once again in the process. "Meowth! We need the chocolaty center!"

"Meeeeeowth!" Meowth nodded, taking a long drag from her slushie. Disturbed, I went into the gym, where an agitated Seth was waiting for me.

"You took such a long time! I'm almost up!" I looked up at the clock and flinched. Eleven fifty seven. I grumbled, and gave him a tired look, handing him the coke. Seeing my face, he asked suddenly, "Candi again?"

"Who else?" I sighed.

"What was it this time?"

"She wanted me to be her... lawyer. So that she could sue the rice ball company." Seth just let out a puff of air.

"Okay then..." He sipped the coke and looked up at the clock. Sandshrew was swiping the air with his claws.

"Looks pumped." I said, wondering how Seth could have gotten a Sandshrew so unlike himself. Struck by a sudden thought, I asked, "Does it know any good moves against rock?"

"Um..." He pulled out his pokédex. "Let's see." Seth directed the scanner at Sandshrew, pressing the button for "Move set".

"Sandshrew. Learned moves: Swift, Scratch, Rapid Spin, Earthquake, Dig." My eyes bulged.

"What the heck? _You_ have TMs too?" Mentally thwacking myself multiple times, I watched as Seth scratched his head.

"Er... Apparently."

"_Apparently_? How do you not know about having _TMs_?" I shut my eyes tightly. "'Oh, I just have a couple super-expensive TMs hanging around. No big deal.'" He glared at me.

"Sandshrew finds those kinds of things." Fighting rising frustration, I forced out,

"Why don't you go start that battle." He smirked.

"Yes mother." About to flip him off, I stopped and snorted, rounding and walking into the stands. I sat down among the school kids on field trips, trying not to disturb the twitchy seven-year olds. Seth was walking into the arena below, still drinking his coke. Brock frowned.

"Hm... No drinks in the arena." Seth raised his eyebrows and stepped back so that he was in the doorway.

"Better?" He asked cooly. If Brock's eyes had been open, he would have rolled them.

"Never mind then." Seth almost swaggered back into the arena. Brock looked like he was thinking hard. "You know... You remind me of someone... A Sana something came through here a week or so ago..." Seth nearly choked on his coke.

"_What_? She- argh! No time to waste! Let's go!" As Brock opened his mouth, no doubt to give the rules of the gym battle, Seth said, "Know them! Come on!"

"Alright then... Go Geodude!"

"Sandshrew!" The two pokémon leapt forward.

"Rock Tomb, Geodude!" Brock yelled.

"Counter with Dig!" The boulders in the arena had been replaced after my gym battle, owing to a considerable lack of them. As the rock pokémon turned the color of pee, Sandshrew was digging a hole to Sinnoh, dirt flying up behind him. Rocks thudded around the hole, covering the tunnel's entrance. From the stands there was a great "Woah!", the little kids thoroughly impressed by flying pee- colored rocks.

"Soph-a-loaf!" Candi's voice yelled over the battle. "I got us an appointment in the courtroom!" Numb, I turned to look at her.

"You're kidding, right?" She shook her head.

"Nope! But the person said it would only be official if I brought a lawyer! So I came to find you SOPHIE!" I gulped.

"Candi, exactly what makes you think I would be a good lawyer?" Candi grinned broadly,

"Because you are _always_ arguing. And you always seem to come out on top!"

"Just because I have a whole library of comebacks doesn't mean that I'm a good lawyer."

"YESH it does!" She was dancing around crazily.

"Hey, kid, bathrooms are out in the hall, first door on your left." A random guy from behind her said. Candi looked at him.

"Do they have _chocolate mints_?" She squealed breathlessly. The guy gulped.

"Um... Maybe?"

"Yay! Meowth! We get chocolate mints!" And the pair ran off for the bathrooms, leaving me muttering,

"Yeah, I would _really_ want to eat chocolate mints from the bathroom." I looked back at the battle that was going on. The Geodude was looking pretty awful, the Sandshrew's Dig attack making it the worse for wear. It was still fighting valiantly, however, chucking rocks at the agile Sandshrew. Seth was sitting crossed legged on the square (where he was supposed to stand, no doubt).

"Dodge. Dodge. Dodge again. Just keep dodging whatever comes at ya." He was saying. "Eh... Maybe throw in a Swift. Or maybe a dig. Whatever looks good." I swore both Sandshrew and I sighed. Sandshrew went into another dig, but Brock was ready.

"Rollout down the tunnel!" He yelled, and Seth shot up.

"Watch out Sandshrew!" He bellowed down the hole. Geodude was already shooting down the hole. I could hear a surprised "Shrew!" from the hole. "Swift! Or one of those fancy moves!" I smirked. What an amazing option.

"Sa!" The pokémon responded and a few seconds later there was a loud noise of smashing rock. For a moment, no one was quite sure what had happened. Then (and I so wish that I had gotten it on tape) Seth and Brock moved as one and peered into the tunnel. They straightened up abruptly, knocking into each other's heads in the process. The school kids laughed their irritating little-kid laugh, and I snickered. Candi came barging into the arena, taking the wrong door, yelling wildly,

"THE BATHROOMS DON'T HAVE CHOCOLATE MINTS!" There was a long pause, in which Seth and I buried our faces in our palms. The kids next to me broke back out into their laughter ("She said _bathroom_!" _What_ a bad girl Candi is.) Candi suddenly realized where she was, and a smile broke over her face. Beaming, she waved to everyone! "Yays! Candi is HAPPY!"

"Great to know, kid." I muttered, though no one else heard. The kids were now laughing insanely. Sandshrew popped his head out of the tunnel, looked around, and disappeared back inside. A few seconds later he shoved a knocked out Geodude from the tunnel. Brock cleared his throat.

"Return, Geodude." Seth sat back down in the box.

"Good job, Sandshrew."

"Sand!" (Sand rodents pwn!)

"Go! Onix!" Brock sent out his other pokémon, who still had a chunk of its head missing from Sepo's bite.

"GROAR!" The rock snake roared. I winced.

"Keep it down!" I yelled back at it.

"The BIG rock is back!" Candi was dancing around the arena floor like an idiot. Seth looked over, flicking his hair.

"Off the floor, gal." He told her.

"Oops!" She giggled. "Didn't see the little lines!" And she skipped off out the door.

"Dig Sandshrew!"

"Dig Onix!" I grinned and leaned forward. This was going to be good. The pair dove underground as Seth yelled at Brock,

"Copycat!" There was a loud rumble from the ground as (I can only presume) the two pokémon collided. They exploded from the center of the arena. _Damn, that is going to cost a lot to restore._ I thought, looking at the large hole and wood splinters. They sprang to opposite sides of the bits of the floor that were still intact.

"Trap it with Rock Tomb!" Brock yelled.

"Ack! Do a ground move!" Seth said, flustered. Sandshrew leaped into the air. "What the hell? I said ground move! Not flying!" He looked so confused, until Sandshrew slammed his limbs into the ground. A vicious roaring rumble exploded from the ground where he had hit. The whole gym shook.

"As soon as I get enough money, I am _so_ buying this TM." I said to myself. The Onix had been thrown against the wall, leaving it unconscious. The tremors subsided and Seth jumped up.

"Woo! Badge! Mine! Woo!" Everyone clapped loudly. Candi burst back into the arena.

"BETH! I GOT YOU A SLUSHIE!" She slammed a mega-sized slushie into his hand.

"Thanks..." He muttered, not quite sure what to make of the situation. I hurried out of the stands. Leave it to Candi to make things weird. I met them outside, Sandshrew looking very pleased with himself, slurping a slushie that Meowth had given him. Whaddya know, pokémon like slushies.

* * *

We all walked back to the hotel after having picked up Sepo and Rui, Seth puffed up larger than a quilfish, winking at any girl we passed. I poked him hard.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?"

"I had to deflate you." He scowled at my answer. I had a smirk on my face all the way to the hotel. As we reached the doors, Candi abruptly said,

"Wait, Beth is a BALLOON?"

"Yes, Candi, Seth is a big, round, inflatable rubber thingy." I said.

"OH! So his name should be... BETH THE BALLOON?"

"Why are you always so loud?" I grumbled. "Later." And I left them to go to the hotel's small workout room.

"I'm telling you, you're obsessive!" Seth yelled after me, and I retorted,

"You so wish you had my abs!" He glared, but didn't say anything back. I hesitated slightly, _Maybe he is jealous. Arceus is a freaking crack-up.

* * *

_

Later in the day, after I had showered and Candi and I had managed to pull Seth from _Pokébattle_, we were walking around town, looking for a place to eat. Seth and I had pointed out a couple to Candi, but she would shake her head.

"Look at the dessert menu! It's only TWO pages!" Then Seth and I would groan, but go off to another soon-to-be rejected venue. After the fourth time this happened, I said,

"Candi, at this rate we're going to have to cook for ourselves! Why don't we just go somewhere else for dessert?" She stared at me like I had grown a second head.

"But it isn't the same!"

"Same as what, Candi?" Seth moaned, clutching his unhappy stomach.

"The same restaurant of course!" Candi said it like she had just answered the million dollar question correctly.

"Oh, really? I would have sworn that the restaurant was two places at once. I thought we could go to the one for dinner and the other for dessert." I growled, trying to not clutch my stomach like Seth.

"Silly Soph-a-loaf! Trix are for kids!" And she skipped off. Seth and I looked at each other.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" He asked.

"Don't ask me." I sighed. "How about we just find a restaurant, and drag her over."

"As long as there's food." That's teenage boys for you.

"I'll get a table. You can deal with her." I walked away, leaving him spluttering,

"What- Why- Ack! Sophie! Why do you always tell me what to do?" I yelled over my shoulder,

"Because I'm mature enough not to scamper up trees!"

"I'm older than you!" He shouted.

"Says who?"

"My birth certificate!"

"Alright then. Oldest always pays for dinner." I said, and smirked.

"WHAT? Where do you-" But I quickly slid into the nearest restaurant, not hearing the rest of his speech. It was one of those red-brick pizza parlor places, with the dim lighting and the old-fashioned salad bars. The whole place looked like it had a constant rush hour. I sat down in a booth that had seen better days, and waited for Seth to pull Candi through the doors. I glanced at the menu then looked away disinterestedly. Your cliche pizza menu.

"They have an ice cream thing, okay?"

"How big is their dessert menu though?"

"Does that matter?"

"YES!" Candi and Seth walked into the room, and I stood up, making sure they could see where I was. They came over, Candi looking around for a dessert menu. "Soph-a-loaf!" She hugged me. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Yeah, it's been about five minutes." I wheezed.

"Yays for five minutes!" Seth smirked.

"Don't look so smug." I told him. "You're so paying."

"What?" I pried myself free from Candi.

"You're the oldest, remember?" I said smugly.

"Uh... No. Candi is." I looked at said girl, who was trying (and failing) to open the salt shaker.

"It... Won't... Open..." She grunted, as she twisted the cap the wrong way.

"I wonder why." I drawled.

"FOOD!" Seth groaned and went to order.

"Remind me why I'm traveling with these guys again." I spoke to Rui.

"Bone-cu." (I don't see why you ask me these things.)

"Neither do I, neither do I..." I muttered, and joined Seth in line.

When we left, Candi was drinking three different sodas at once, while singing,

"Sugar, sugar, sugar! Wonderful SUGAAAARRR!" Grumbling irritably to ourselves, Seth and I frequently sent looks at Candi, who was as oblivious as ever. Abruptly, something went _splat_ on my shoulder. With a sickening feeling, I looked over. Bird crap. A freaking bird had gone crap on me.

"Aw shit." I scowled, grabbing Seth's shirt and trying to wipe it off.

"Hey!" He yelled. From above came the raucous cawing of the culprit, a Chatot.

"Hey shit! Hey shit! Hey shit!" My jaw dropped, and Candi squealed,

"Candi learned a new word!"

* * *

***Author's Note* Muahaha! Sophie always gets the bad end of the stick! In the next chapter there will be the new main and, I believe, their rival, which are both submitted OCs. **

**Review so I can make this better! I want to make this fic the best it can be, and how can I do that without by beloved reader's feedback? So review, even if it's just "I hate you. You suck." At least you took the time to say it. **

**Okay, "Belief at Dawn" by J. Whitnee. The last chapter was super intense, and I was on the edge of my seat, like "Omg, what is going to happen?" The characters are crack ups as well! And if you read it, a lot of the stuff that has happened so far is going to make a lot more sense. Not to mention our A.E.P's! Believe me, you will know when we reveal one. **

**I'm still taking OCs, believe it or not. I want Sophie and Co. to meet a lot of _unique_ people on their way, not just your cliche "hate the world, my life sucks" people. Candi is unique. Seth is unique. Sepo is a bit too unique. So have fun with them! Base them off your cat or something, I don't know. **

**Anyway, that's all for my rant. Hope you enjoyed!  
**


	12. Chapter 11: Laundry Day

_**Chapter Eleven: Laundry Day**_

* * *

"What is a _chatot_ doing here? This is freaking _Kanto_!" I yelled to no one in particular.

"My shirt!" Seth wailed. "Sophie! Why? Why?"

"Pretty colors!" Candi said, head moving exaggeratedly to follow the little bird.

"Will some one answer the question?" I continued to bellow, trying to hold my breath to ward off the horrid smell that was now coming from the splotch.

"Now I'm going to have to wash it! Sophie! How could you?"

"Wheeeeee! Birdy can fly!" Candi was still not getting the point.

"Who does this... _thing_ belong to?" I was starting to go on a rampage.

"W-wait! D-don't k-k-kill J-Jeez!" A timid voice spoke in front of us. "He d-didn't m-mean to..." I snorted.

"Right. He didn't mean to." I saw a boy, pale and scrawny looking, swamped in a jacket too big for him. I squinted. "This bird belongs to _you_?" I couldn't keep the surprise from my voice. How could such an evil bird belong to such a sickly looking kid?

"Y-yes. Jeez, c-come back..." The bird ignored him, still flapping around our heads screeching foul language.

"MY SHIRT!" Seth continued to wail. I turned to him, and scowled.

"Suck it up you pansy." I growled, and looked back at the pale kid. "Mind getting rid of that thing?" He shook and said, in such a low voice I could barely hear him,

"I-I'm trying..." Then louder, "C-come back th-this instant!" The bird continued to ignore the kid. I glowered at it.

"Bring it down with your vines, Sepo!"

"Bulba!" Her vines shot forward and wrapped around the bird.

"Shit!" It cawed and scrabbled at the vines. I shuddered. I hated it when mimicking birds said something that made sense.

"No! S-stop!" The boy yelled. "J-Jeez d-doesn't mean any harm!"

"Come on! The freaking thing _crapped _on me!" I growled. "Sleep Powder!" There was a puff of green particles from Sepo's bulb, and the Chatot began to snore loudly. The boy was fumbling with his pokéballs, continually dropping them, picking them up, and dropping them again. Finally, he held up an oran berry.

"Jeez! R-return!" There was a long pause. Then Candi skipped up and grabbed the berry, popping it into her mouth.

"Yummy!" She squirted Seth with berry juice. "Oopsies! Hey," Candi looked around in the night sky. "Where did the birdy go?"

"Candi! Not you too!" Seth was beginning to lose it. "You and Sophie just had to mess with my SHIRT!"

"SUCK IT UP YOU PANSY!" I repeated. The boy was watching us, with a both confused and frightened look on his face.

"I AM NOT A PANSY!"

"It sure sounds like it."

"Wait, Beth is a balloon AND a flower?" Candi was looking overjoyed. "Bethie is a FLOWER BALLOON!"

"Where did this whole 'Beth' thing come from again?" Seth asked.

"I hope you don't expect an answer." I said, and smirked.

"Beth, beth, beth! SUGAR!" Face palm.

"Return, Jeez." The boy almost whispered, now holding a pokéball.

"Excuse me?" Seth asked, looking at the boy weirdly.

"Talking to the pokémon?" The kid said, in an even softer tone.

"Oh. It sounded like- you know what? Never mind." Seth groaned. "Oh... My shirt... Why, Arceus, why?"

"I'm leaving." I muttered, and walked away, shedding my hoodie, holding it as far away from my nose as I could.

"Wait for Beth and me, Soph-a-loaf!" Feet pattered to catch up to me, then receded, as Candi went back to drag Seth along.

"No! Not in the water!" Seth wailed. There was the sound of something hitting water. "MY PANTS!" I wheeled around and saw Seth, jumping from the old street water onto the sidewalk. Laughter burst through my mouth, robbing my lungs of air. Seth began running around in circles.

"Got to dry them off. Got to dry them off." He chanted to himself as tears began to leak from my eyes. The boy with the chatot gulped, and walked quickly in the opposite direction. Candi was random as ever, conversing with Meowth about the "SHINY" street lights. I gasped, weak, lungs burning, and still laughter poured from me.

"Pa- pa... pa... pansy!" I choked, then wheezed. "Can't... breath..." As Seth stormed toward me, I forced a large breath of air in, effectively annihilating the rest of my giggles.

"You think that's funny?" He snarled. I met his eyes and smirked.

"Uh... Yeah. You ought to get a job as a stand up comedian." He glowered, and grabbed me, trying to shove me toward the puddle. The smirk never left my face. I shifted my weight, and grabbed his arm, sticking my foot out at the same time. He fell over my foot and back into the puddle. "Nice job. You _really_ got me that time." Candi looked over at my words.

"Aw... Beth is all soggy! Let's get Bethie a nice-" Her face lit up suddenly. "HOT CHOCOLATE!" I blanched.

"Everything just seems to go back to sugar for you, doesn't it?" I said, watching her.

"Sugar? WHERE?" More than a bit perturbed, I said,

"Uh... Never mind. Trick of the light. Yeah. That's a good one."

"The SHINY light?" She gripped my arm tightly.

"There you go again, yelling 'shiny' at the top of your-"

"WHERE'S THE SHINY?" A liquid dripped onto my head. Stiffly, I turned and saw Seth, dripping the filthy water onto my head.

"Thank you, Seth. Exactly what I wanted." I forced out. "Will someone remind me what I'm doing traveling with you guys?" Seth was smiling sadistically.

"Nope. No can do." And he set off for the the hotel, Candi and I following (though I would rather have abandoned Seth with his tree).

* * *

When we got back, I immediately asked the man at the counter for directions to the laundry room. It was obvious that he wanted to ask what we were doing, wet and smelling like sewer, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Rushing off in the direction the man had pointed, I dumped the nasty smelling thing into the washer. Pressing the button, I watched as it whirred and dinged, giving back a considerably less smelly hoodie.

"Thank you for using the E-Wash, your quick and efficient way to clean clothes!" The machine chimed, its Cheri berry symbol blinking slowly.

"Your welcome?" I said, then shook myself. I needed to sleep. Throwing the hoodie over my shoulder, I left the laundry room to get to my bed. Sepo and Rui were looking rather tired as well, not even bothering to bicker with each other. A cold draft of air hit me, and I hissed sharply. The large window was open. "Who opened the stupid window?" But of course, no one in the room could answer that. Growling, I slammed the window down and threw on a pair of old sweat pants and an over-large t-shirt. "Stay shut!" I told the offending pane, and closed my eyes.

I dreamed I was climbing to the top of Mt. Moon, snow and ice swirling around me. My only companions were Em, the ninetales, and Rin, the shiny sneasel my mother's tutor had owned. I slipped and fell continually, swearing every time I found myself buried in a snow bank. The only thing that they said during the whole dream was, "Try again."

I woke to find myself shivering, the window open once again. _Damn, why don't things stay where I tell them to?_

Rui and Sepo were shaking with the cold as well, burrowing into the comforter. I stood up and shut the window again with an,

"I thought I told you to stay shut." Then again, it wasn't the most expensive hotel. Of course they had window problems. I shrugged and changed back into my clothes, twisting and popping my back. Rui was now awake, and she hopped off the bed. The retarded bulbasaur harrumphed loudly, and burrowed even further into the sheets, until only the tip of her bulb could be seen. Rolling my eyes, I pulled out my laptop. The mail icon flashed and the computer let out a _bloop_. I cocked my head. _Who knows my e-mail again?_ I doubled clicked the icon and the mail window was brought up. Oh. Professor Oak. Kinda creepy when I thought about how he learned my e-mail. I opened the message (which was addressed to "All Trainers- Summer 2009").

_Hello, this is Professor Oak. I am merely checking up on you all to make sure your journeys are going well! I also wanted to say that there is a beginner competition on the last day of the month in Vermilion City, so if you plan to be a co-ordinator, check it out. Please respond if there is anything you need to tell me._

_-Professor Oak_

Oh boy, did I ever have something to tell him. I clicked the "respond" button, and began my "courteous" response.

_Professor,_

_You told us to respond if there was something we had to tell you. I have a couple of things I would like to say._

_-That bulbasaur? Thanks a lot. It almost took my leg off. In fact, I think it's still trying to. Whatever combination of pokémon you used to create her, don't try it again. Ever. Unless you are donating to the "Society for people that need ways to off themselves", or if you plan to keep a bulbasaur. In that case, this one would be __perfect__ for you._

_-And the pokédex you gave me. Haha. Very funny. WHY DID YOU PROGRAM THE STUPID THING TO BE ALL MESSED UP? It called Sepo a bulbasaur/ totodile. Which makes sense. BUT NOT FROM A MACHINE!!! _

_-Lastly, I hope you stick with poetry in the future. I hate to think about how many people you've slaughtered with your crazy pokémon._

_And, let's face it, you are probably going to delete this right now. Just keep in mind what I told you. I will have revenge!_

I sent the e-mail.

* * *

A few minutes later, we left for our routine jog. Sepo tried to run with us, but, bulbasaurs being bulbasaurs, can only waddle. So, she just ended up back on my leg. Yeah, like I wasn't expecting it. We went through the pass and then turned back partway to Mt. Moon. The air was slowly warming as Nidoran popped their heads out of dens. Steering clear of the poisonous rodent-things, I made my way back, pausing occasionally to get Sepo to move to the other leg. Last thing I needed was asymmetric legs.

"A-attack! No! I m-mean dodge!" That voice... it was familiar. I rounded the cliff corner and saw two boys battling. One was the boy from the previous night, who was having trouble giving orders. The other was weird, let me just say. Cape, joker's hat, and these purple eyes that just weirded me out. Seriously, how many people have purple eyes? Probably as many as there are teenager boys who dye the tips of their hair. And wear jackets in the summer. In freaking Kanto. Maybe I need to battle Reizu. Stupid kid.

"Ha! Attract, Deceit, and Bite for all it's worth." The boy with the freaky eyes said, grinning a smile that I would have associated with someone who had just placed a bucket of water over your front door. The Mawile (Deceit, I suppose her name was) began to dance, showering the Chatot with little pink hearts. Distracted, the bird cocked its head, following Deceit's every move.

"Ha! Dodge! Ha! Attract!" It cawed, puffing itself up.

"N-no! S-snap out of it! D-defend! No! D-d-dodge!" The sickly boy was flustered, and I approached the battle. Another boy was lying against a rock, looking utterly bored with the whole affair. His tanned skin accented the pattern of thin, crisscrossing scars across his body. His short brown hair was in the usual "messy because I don't care about how my hair looks" style that most boys took hours to achieve. Yeah, I know how your head works, all you males out there. A charmander was crouched on the rock above the scarred boy's head, accompanied by a frightened looking Larvitar (I so wish I had one of those. Minus the frightened bit.) and a Ditto sat by the boy's side.

Settling a couple feet away from the boy, I watched the battle, feeling increasingly sorry for the timid kid. But what was really bothering me was the scars that crossed the other kids arms. Looking over, my eyes continued to take in the frightening looking cuts. Okay, it was more like staring, but who wouldn't? There were too many white lines to not look at. Trying to force myself away, I found I couldn't. Damn. How annoying. The kid looked over and saw me looking at him. He shifted uncomfortably, retaining an utterly serious look on his face. I doubted that he had smiled much.

"Sorry." I muttered, and turned away, looking at the Mawile that was destroying the Chatot (who remained stupidly in love with the creature that was biting it to death).

"A-attack! Wait! R-return!" As before, the boy pulled out a random berry.

"What the heck?" I said, then yelled, "Use a pokéball!" The kid in the jester's hat snickered, and Timid flushed bright red.

"O-oh. Oops..." He pulled out a pokéball. "Return!"

"There you go." I breathed, shutting my eyes. They opened again, and I found my attention turning back to Scar boy.

"Can I help you?" Scar boy asked, raising an eyebrow, voice as serious as his face. I knew at that moment that pink would be coloring my cheek bones, blushing like some comic character.

"Er... Hehe... Sorry... Just... Your scars... You know?" I muttered, trying to force the pink to leave.

"Oh. That." He looked away again. Uncomfortable silence, which was swiftly broken by Timid's voice,

"No! Return! Th-that's awkward and w-weird!" My head snapped up.

"Oh Mew! Please tell me you didn't mess up the seasons! It can't _possibly_ be spring!" I exclaimed shocked at what the Chatot was try to do the the Mawile. "I swear, Mew, I will never, _ever_ use Attract!" The other two boys (Jester and Scar boy) were just as appalled as I was.

"Deceit, return!" The Mawile was sucked back into the pokéball. After a moment, I began to laugh loudly.

"Ha... You're going to have to... to... have the... the _talk_ with that bird!" I snickered, and Jester soon joined in.

"Or... or maybe _neuter_ it!" We exchanged glances, and the laughter doubled.

"Wh-what? What is the t-talk?" Timid asked, looking confused.

"You don't want to know." Scar boy said, somehow keeping a smile from his face.

"I don't know. He looks like the type that would want to know." I said, still laughing with the random Jester kid.

"H-huh? I-I don't know what y-you are t-t-talking about..." Timid was looking frightened. I coughed and shuddered, drawing a deep breath.

"No need to worry about it. Yet." I told him, and Jester snickered.

"Right. _Yet_." I had to try so hard not to laugh at his words. "Hey, what's your name? You're funny." He asked, looking at me.

"Heh. Sophie. Don't bother with my last name. No one in all of Kanto seems to be able to pronounce it." He grinned.

"I know how that song goes. People call me Nocturne." I nodded, and said,

"Cool. Last name difficult?"

"Yeah. Oh," He added, "That's Jay. He didn't tell me his last name either." Nocturne gestured to Scar boy.

"Nice to meet you." Empty words. People have been saying them for so long. Oh well, I said 'em anyway.

"Yeah. You too." Jay grunted.

"How'd you get the scars?" I asked, unable to resist.

"Long story." He growled.

"Okay then... Are all of you traveling together?" I said, a little deflated from the blunt response.

"Just Jay and I." Nocturne replied. "We just met Titty here and I wanted a battle." I tipped my head back a little.

"Titty? Is that his name?" I asked, looking at Timid.

"Yeah. I think so anyway."

"M-my n-name is Taeti!" He yelled, or at least tried to. He wasn't really the shouting kind.

"Okay. That's cool." I said, and bobbed my head. "Nice meeting you all. You're cool." I nodded at Nocturne. "You're scary. But still kinda cool." I nodded at Jay. "You have a freaking messed up Chatot. Who poops on people." And I nodded to Titty (excuse me, I meant Taeti.) "Maybe I'll see all you again sometime." I stood, and began jogging back to the hotel, not hearing Titty as he vowed to beat Nocturne one day.

"Later!" Nocturne called. After about a minute, a voice said,

"W-wait! H-hold up!" I glanced over my shoulder. _Was it talking to me...?_ "S-sabrina! No! Ack! Wh-what was your name?" Taeti was stumbling towards me, probably trying to run.

"Er... Ya talking to me?" I stopped and watched as he made his was forward.

"Y-yes!"

"I'm Sophie. Not Sabrina."

"O-oh. I'm sorry..." He mumbled.

"So... What's up?" I asked, ignoring my stomach's angry growls.

"I-I-I wanted..." Taeti's voice was hardly above a whisper now.

"Excuse me? Didn't quite catch that." I leaned forward, trying to catch any sound that I could be missing.

"... wanted to..."

"C'mon boy! I know you can speak louder than that!"

"Iwantedtotravelwithyou!"

"You sure don't look the type that does tai quon do." I looked him over. "Definitely not the type."

"No! I want to... travel... you..."

"Oh! I see. Er... Can you cook?" Yup, I ask some of the stupidest (but not really) questions in the world. He sighed, and said,

"Yes... I c-can..."

"Great! You're hired!" I told him, and too myself, "I don't have to co-ook, I don't have to co-ook!" And I tugged him all the way back to the hotel.

When we got to the breakfast room, Seth and Candi were already there.

"Morning!" I said cheerfully. Seth coughed and choked. "You okay?" He shook his head.

"You- you're happy! Candi, the apocalypse is coming!" He said, hacking up any pecha juice that remained in his lungs.

"Is he like the ice cream man?" She asked, suddenly looking very interested in "the apocalypse". I groaned, good mood somewhat evaporating.

"Hate to tell you, but you never really get used to it." I informed Titty. Candi looked over at him, and squealed happily,

"OH! Is he the apocalypse? Yay! I'll have a triple fudge sundae!"

* * *

Professor Oak stared at the e-mail in front of him, cold with shock and fear. _How could Sophie Ng possibly know about Ash Ketchum and the Pikachu I gave him?_ He wondered, shivering a little. _She must have the whole lab under surveillance. Didn't her cousin mention something about her being a ninja?_ Oak snapped the laptop closed and went up to his room, kicking the door to make sure Sophie wasn't lurking behind it. It ricocheted and hit him in the nose.

"Arceus damn it!" He yelled, then froze. What if Sophie had been the one that had done it to him? Ninjas probably did that kind of thing.

That night Oak slept with the lights on and a baseball bat by his nightstand.

* * *

***Author's Note* Ah... How is it that all the characters I use come off as messed up? I even managed to make Oak look like a retard. Well, I introduced some more OCs! Yay!**

**Nocturne belongs to _Different Realm_**

**Jay belongs to _CyberWolf101_**

**Taeti/ Titty belongs to the anonymous _KimiKaze_**

**And as a reminder:**

**Candi belongs to _Lolli-S_**

**Seth belongs to _Money Stax_**

**All "Belief at Dawn" characters so far (Kira, Yoshi) belong to _J. Whitnee_  
**

**So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it was a wee bit pervy, but I blame my cousin for that. He kinda got me in a perverted state of mind. Send all flames to him. Anyway, Sophie actually probably got along better with the rival than the main! Not to mention that the rival isn't a loner for once. There are so many stories where the rival doesn't travel with _anyone_. Kinda confusing for me, you know? And I promise that Nocturne and Jay will be back soon, probably sooner than you expect.  
**

**I also wrote letter "B" (for Sepo the Bulbasaur!) for J. Whitnee's "Pokémon ABC" so have a look (and maybe participate) if you have the chance. As long as we are talking about J. Whitnee, why not check out "Belief at Dawn"? The past few chapters have been really intense, with so much suspense I'm about to strangle her. But I won't, because then she won't update.**

**Well, you all know the drill. Please review, the more reviews, the faster I update. I apologize if this note bored you, but credit was due. Until my next update!  
**


	13. Chapter 12: Blind as a Bat With Eyes

_**Chapter Twelve: Blind as a Bat With Eyes**_

* * *

The following day, we packed up to get through Mt. Moon. Candi continued to insist that the apocalypse was the ice cream man, despite constant explanations that is was the end of the world.

"What, there aren't any ice cream men at the end of the world?" She would say stubbornly.

"The end of the world isn't a place! It means the world is going to... blow up or something." Seth (or I) would respond.

"Like bubble gum?"

"Wh-what does b-bubble gum h-have to do with anything?" Titty said continually.

"Don't ask, Titty."

"My name isn't Titty!"

"Oh... Alright then Titty." I suppose that's why no one challenged any of us to a battle. After all, who wants to battle a bunch of nutters like us?

Small pebbles crunched beneath our feet, as we slowly made our way up the incline to the entrance of the tunnel.

"Are we there yet?" Seth moaned, making it look as though every step cost him a limb or two.

"Yes, Seth, that's why we're still walking." I grumbled.

"That doesn't make any sense Soph-a-loaf!" Candi chimed, skipping in front of me.

"Don't talk to me, talk to Seth."

"W-what? Wh-where did the l-loaf bit c-come from?" Titty was slow on the uptake as ever.

"Well, Titty my boy, we all have retarded nicknames for each other, crazy as it seems." Seth took it upon himself to explain. "We call Sophie Soph-a-loaf because we can and want to."

"We call Seth either Beth or Slakoth Boy, because he's always going up trees." I added.

"Shut up Sophie."

"And me is CANDI! Because me likes SUGAR!" Candi skipped around. "Seth, Beth! Soph, loaf! Yays for rhymes!"

"So we call you Titty, because it sounds like Taeti." Seth finished.

"B-but it doesn't sound l-like Taeti!" Titty protested, looking like his pride (or what remained of it) was severely injured.

"Good point." I said. "You're smarter than we give you credit for, Titty."

"A-And what is that s-supposed to m-mean?"

"Look at the time! Better run!" I responded, and continued to walk at the same pace.

"Y-You aren't running." He told me. I looked down in mock surprise.

"Oops! Silly me!" Seth snorted with laughter.

"Right. Just you're average workout freak forgetting how to run." He said, smirking. I glared.

"Ha ha. I'm dying right now." I drawled.

"Really? Does that mean I can give you CPR?" I punched him in the arm. "Ow! What was that- Never mind." He cut himself off.

"Titty! Do you have anymore of those YUMMY berries?" Candi threw herself at Taeti and gave him a death hug.

"Eep!" He gasped. "If I s-say yes, will you l-let g-g-go?"

"YESH, but only if you give me ooooone!"

"O... kay..." He spluttered, turning slowly the color of an Oran berry.

"YAYS!" She released him and gave him a bit of space. He rummaged around, and his face went white. He gave me a look that clearly said,

"I'm out of of berries." I grinned a little. This was going to be good.

"What would I say if I told you he was out of berries?" I asked Candi. She frowned.

"But he said he had some berries!"

"Er... Right... We need to have a talk." I pulled her aside.

"O-Oh! Is this the talk you were m-mentioning earlier?" Titty asked, and I froze.

"NO! Talk with Seth!" I tugged Candi away. "Listen, don't you have any food for yourself?" She nodded, and rummaged in her bag, procuring another bag of popcorn.

"Me has popcorn!" She stuck in her hand and crunched down on the popcorn. "MMMM! Want some Soph-a-loaf?" I groaned, and asked,

"Just how old are you?"

"Fourteen!" She replied happily, and my jaw fell open. _She is _older_ than me?_ _What is the world coming to? _Then again, that wasn't really something I wanted to think about.

"And how old is that popcorn?" I dreaded her response.

"More than a second, less than a... uh... CENTURY!"

"Thanks for the highly detailed info."

"No problem!" She giggled, and we continued on our way.

"Sophie." Seth came over, speaking softly. "Where did you find him?" He jerked his head to indictate Taeti.

"Oh... Just battling some cool kid. His hat was pretty awesome."

"Titty doesn't have a hat."

"NO! The cool kid!"

"So that means you don't think Titty is cool."

"Well... Not as cool as the other kid."

"So why didn't you invite the other kid?"

"I don't know. I think he was already traveling with someone. A kid named Jay, who had all these scars and was _super_ serious. I mean, I'm sure he'd be cool if he wasn't so... well... serious. Hehe..." Seth was staring at me as I finished my monologue.

"Wow. Candi is rubbing off on you, isn't she?" He told me, and I glared.

"Shut up, Beth." I growled.

"At least you aren't eating old popcorn. Yet." He smirked.

"Aren't you awesome?" I said, rolling my eyes.

"Uh... Yeah. I am."

"Sarcasm, kiddo!"

"Oh... I had no idea."

"Why is EVERYONE using sarcasm these days?" I almost yelled.

"Gee, I don't know-"

"SHUT UP BOY!" I was almost rampaging, and I stormed up the path, showering the rest of the group with gravel.

"Thanks a lot!" Seth called up.

"ARGH!" I walked faster. Titty's voice floated up.

"W-Wait! P-Please! I can't k-keep up!" I turned, looking down at our designated chef. He was lagging far behind Seth and Candi, struggling to keep up. His Chatot was flying above.

"ARRRRGH!" It screeched, doing a very good pirate imitation. Candi looked back at him.

"Candi will give you a piggy back ride!" She hopped down to the struggling boy. He gave her a confused look.

"Er... Are you strong enough to carry me?"

"Yup!" She grinned, and he doubtfully climbed on. "Nope!" She changed her mind and dropped him.

"Oh, come on Candi!" I groaned, looking at the heap that was Titty. She giggled, and helped him up.

"Sorry! Hey, do you have anymore berries?" He flinched at her words and "ran" up to me, panting a little. "Hey? Beth, did I say something?"

"Uh... I think you mentioned berries."

"Yup! I did! Snaps for Bethie!" She danced around. He paused, and looked up at me.

"Why is it that everyone interrupts me?" I shrugged.

"Don't ask me." I told him, and looked at Titty. "You know, when your life is threatened, you move pretty fast." Titty shuddered.

"C-Can we keep moving?" He stuttered, and I nodded.

"Wait! Stop moving!" Seth whined. "You guys all walk too fast!"

"Shut up or Sepo will bite you!" I yelled, and let out a breath of relief when I saw the entrance to the cave right ahead. "Finally." I hissed between my teeth. There were a couple of trainers out in front of the cave, eating an early lunch and relishing the last bit of sunshine. I passed them by with Titty in tow, marching straight into the dim light of the cave. Before he followed, Titty hesitated, looking back at the sunshine, but followed. Footsteps clattered and Seth ran toward us, looking grumpy at having to use his leg muscles. Candi was skipping. Again.

"I'm serious! I'm not used to running so much!"

"Oh, that's a brand new line." I said, rolling my eyes.

"Well, that's because you _move too fast_!"

"Naw. You just think too slow." I retorted.

"Oh, ha _ha_. Very funny. At least-" His voice cracked, and when I say cracked, I mean _really _cracked. I snorted with laughter and was soon leaning against the tunnel wall, choked with laughter. "Arceus damn puberty." He muttered darkly as he watched me laugh and laugh. Titty looked confused, and Candi began to laugh with me, just because I was laughing.

"Ha ha! That was a funny joke Seth!" She giggled with me, and I calmed down a little.

"Eh... Real funny joke. Yeah..." I quickly shut up and got to my feet.

"I-I don't get it." Titty said quietly, and I closed my eyes, saying,

"I have a feeling that we are going to be hearing that a lot." Seth looked cheered at the prospect.

"And I won't be the one laughed at all the time!"

"Don't count on it, Beth." I responded. "Anyway, let's go." We began walking through the main tunnel, occasionally stumbling over random rocks.

"OH. MY. ARCEUS!" Candi shrieked suddenly. Everyone jumped.

"What is it Candi?" I yelped.

"Where's the monster?" Seth was freaking out.

"M-Monster? O-Oh no!" Titty was stuttering badly. Candi giggled.

"It's a ZUBAT!"

"Oh, that is _totally_ something to freak out about." I growled.

"Yup! Plus, it's a _pretty_ zubat!"

"Whoop-dee-freaking-doo." I continued to growl like an angry growlithe. "Candi, you're worse than a Qwilfish in the ass sometimes, you know that?" She pouted.

"But that would hurt!"

"No way." Seth and I said at the same time.

"Th-That was kinda creepy." Titty muttered at the coincidence.

"It happens a lot." We both said, and glared at each other. I shrugged, telling him,

"I should probably be congratulating you. You're voice hasn't cracked in... five minutes?" I looked at the other two to confirm my answer. They just stared blankly at me.

"Whatever." Seth said, "Let's keep going." I smirked, but continued down into the mountain. Eventually, someone's stomach growled loudly.

"CANDI IS HUNGRY!" She shrieked.

"No, really?" I muttered, but sat on a rock, pulling out my laptop. "Let's see... Withdraw..." I slowly narrated my way through the item storage system.

"Hurry up, Sophie!" Seth complained. "I'm hungry!"

"It's just rice balls." I muttered. "I though you didn't like them."

"I'd eat a Weedle if I was hungry enough." He stared off into the distance dramatically. "And thus a rice ball-" I chucked the food at him, it bouncing off his skull. "Ow." He rubbed the area where the rice had hit him, and scowled.

"Eat up. Otherwise you'll have to resort to Weedles. And I'd _hate_ for that to happen." I said, dolling out the rest of the rice balls.

"Do these have a choco-" Candi began, but I cut her off.

"Don't worry about it. Just eat." I gave a rice ball to Titty, who devoured it. Blinking, I shook myself, and bit into the rice ball. Candi had broken the rice ball in halves, discovering the lack of a you-know-what. She stood up, holding the rice ball up high.

"Up for grabs!" She shouted, and her voice echoed down the tunnel. There was an almighty flapping sound.

"What the hell? Not again!" Seth shouted, remembering the incident in the forest. "Argh! Quick, give the Cubone some sugar!" He yelled.

"What? Are you _crazy_? We could all die!" I yelled back.

"Bone?" (Sugar?) Rui piped up.

"No!" I said, horrified, that she would want to actually have _more_ sugar.

"What are y-you t-talking about?" Titty was confused as ever.

"Long story!" Seth and I responded, then glared at each other. I looked down the tunnel. At this point, I was expecting to see red, glowing eyes or something. But the tunnel was still void of all creepy movie effects. Then, like a torrent of water, a ton of zubat came flying out of the tunnel.

"I'm going to kill you if this kills me!" Seth shouted at everyone. Candi was giggling.

"Hello Zubat number one!"

"Not again!" I moaned.

"Good afternoon, Zubat number two!" The bats swooped around us, and I plopped down, unhappy to say the least.

"GO AWAY!" I yelled at them, but they took no notice. Of course. What did I expect? Candi tossed the rice ball into their midst, and they froze, watching it fall to the ground. Squealing angrily at the fact that it had been a _rice ball_ and not a sugary cake, they all fled down the tunnel. "Thank you." I growled at the empty space where they had been, and stood, brushing myself off. I realized suddenly that not all the zubat had left. One was still fluttering around, looking a bit remorse and lonely.

"Hiya zubat number one hundred forty two!" She went up to it. "You're _pretty_! I'm gonna catch you!"

"Candi..." Seth groaned.

"Yeah, you really chat it up with a pokémon you're about to catch." I said, still irritated. She giggled, and pulled out a pokéball.

"Meowth! Do the thing that pokémon are supposed to do when the trainer wants to catch a pokémon!" Everyone stared at her numbly. "C'mon! Don't be afraid!" She coaxed the Meowth.

"That order wasn't confusing at all." I muttered to Seth, who nodded. Meowth finally understood what Candi was asking of her, and bounded forward, claws extending for a Scratch attack. The zubat fluttered in the air, still looking forlorn.

"MEOW!" The cat shrieked, and raked its claws over the bat's wings.

"ZU!" The bat tumbled to the ground, shocked at what had just happened. "Ba-zu!"

"Yays! Go red and white thingy!" Candi tossed the pokéball, and it missed completely. "Oops!" She giggled while Seth and I face palmed. "Let's try that again!" She skipped over, picked up the ball, and tossed it at the bat, this time managing not to miss. The zubat was sucked into the pokéball, and the light flashed as the zubat tried to escape. Finally, there was the _ding_ that signified a caught pokémon. "Candi is AWESOMISTIC!" She squealed and danced around. Realization hit me. Crap. _Candi_ has caught a pokémon before I have. I need to work on things.

"Yeah, sure. You're awesome." Seth said, rubbing sore ears. Candi, clapped her hands, still oblivious to sarcasm. She threw the pokéball.

"Guess who I am Soph-a-loaf!" The zubat appeared. Candi assumed an evil look on her face and said, "Dodge the boulders and use Bone Club!" When the zubat (who was looking bewildered) didn't do anything, she scowled, and said, "Nice dodge, zubat!" Candi crossed her arms over her chest and continued to scowl. Of course, I knew who it was. So did Seth, because he was on the ground laughing his sorry ass off.

"Ha ha! Oh my Arceus, Candi! That was... was a p-perfect imitation of- of _Sophie_! Oh... my... ha ha... Arceus!" I glowered, as Candi went back to herself. She pouted and said to Seth,

"But I was trying to imitate Titty!" At this point, I cracked up. Seth was looking as confused as the zubat.

"Wha-? But that... It doesn't..."

"JUST KIDDING!" Candi shrieked and giggled. Titty looked relieved.

"G-Good. I d-don't think I-I look like th-that at a-all..." He stammered, watching the Zubat fly above our heads. "Hm..." He fumbled in his bag and pulled out another pokéball. "G-go! Zuzu!" He let the ball fly and a Zubat flew out.

"Hey! Titty didn't throw the wrong pokéball this time!" I gave him a congratulatory clap on the back.

"Th-that's not my n-name." He said quietly. I ignored this. Hey, who has to deal with being called "Soph-a-loaf" everyday? Glancing up at the zubat, I felt my blood chill. The freaking thing had _eyes_.

* * *

I gulped.

"Are those eyes?" I asked him, and everyone else looked up to see what I was talking about. "Cause if those _are_ eyes, I would ask Mew for a refund." The eyes were black, and went cross eyed, not to mention that one was smudged. Wait. Smudged?

"C-come down Zuzu!" Titty commanded, and the bat flew over obediently. Titty pulled out a permanent marker and began to "fix" Zuzu's eye. Seth held up his hands.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold the camera." He walked over to Zuzu and Titty. "You draw eyes on your zubat?" The boy nodded, adding a couple of eyebrows. "That makes... no sense." Seth finished lamely.

"Y-yes it does m-make sense!" Titty objected. "I-I like t-t-to see people's eyes wh-when I talk to them. Zuzu d-didn't h-have eyes!"

"There's a reason for that." I breathed. Candi popped over my shoulder like a messed up cartoon character.

"Where's the sugar?"

"I never said anything about that, Candi." I sighed, and looked at her.

"Oh. My bad!" She looked at Zuzu. "OH. MY. ARCEUS!" She screamed.

"What now?" Seth grumped.

"It has _eyes_!"

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." I drawled, and began packing up.

"Staring contest! On three! One... Three!" Skipping two, Candi began staring as hard as she could at the zubat, as we all stared at her for being an idiot. After two seconds, she said, "Wait! I blinked! Start over!" And wouldn't you know it, she couldn't beat Zuzu. I wonder why.

* * *

***Author's Note* Well, not only is Titty a walking disaster, but he draws eyes on his Zubat! Not quite a normal kid, eh? Then again, I'm pretty sure that everyone in this fic is messed up, so I apologize if you wanted your OC to look awesome and stuff. I doubt that's going to happen here. This is the part where I thank you all very much for your OCs, and remind you that I am, in fact, still accepting them. I know a lot of you will be discouraged by the fact they probably aren't going to become a main, but seriously, I might have an important role for them later on. **

**Okay, now about "Belief at Dawn". Incredible! Stunning! Suspense-filled! Makes one twitch in their chair with anticipation! This is a fic that you don't want to miss! I know you're tired of hearing it, but you will agree with me if you read it. And plus, it will make me very happy.**

**Reviews please! I love hearing from all of you! It really encourages me to continue with this fic instead of ditching it, so even if it's something small, I still want to hear it. The whole reason I'm posting this story is that people can read and (hopefully) enjoy it, so it's good to know that people actually are liking my writing. And, if you like this fic, tell your buddies all about it! I want plenty of people to read it. Anonymous reviews will always be included, as I'm sure not everyone in this world has an account. That's all for my rant.**

**So, happy Halloween everyone! I hope you enjoy dressing up and getting/ giving candy and partying! May you scream so hard you wet your pants! Until next chapter!  
**


	14. Chapter 13: Fire Without Smoke

_**Chapter Thirteen: Fire Without Smoke**_

* * *

Later in the evening (at least, we assumed it was night, kinda hard to tell when you're inside a mountain) we had settled down in a cavern. It wasn't a special cavern or anything, it just had dirt and rock floors, dirt and rock walls, and dirt and rock ceilings. Did I mention all the dirt and rocks that littered the whole space? Seeing as we weren't outside, we hadn't needed to set up tents (a thing for which I constantly thanked Mew for.) Seth and I were arguing (again) while Titty and Candi looked on.

"Are you kidding me? We are not going to set up a _fire_ in here, Mr. Outdoors-man! Even I know better than that!" I yelled, fists clenched.

"Look, _Soph-a-loaf_, I brought no-smoke firewood for exactly that purpose!"

"Oh, isn't Slakoth Boy fancy! He brought a _special_ firewood so that we could set up a _fire _right by our supplies! Let's give him a round of applause!" Candi and Titty started to clap obediently, but I stopped them with a glare. Seth smirked.

"I have the audience on my side, Loafy, ain't nothing you can do now." He taunted.

"Oh! I'm powerless against the Slakoth! Save me!" I snarled. "I don't care _what_ you three say, I am NOT going to let you put up a fire right by my E-Poké!"

"So it's your laptop that matters, not anything else?" The tension felt like it was choking me, but I stood my ground, still giving him my evil glare.

"Yes, Beth, now go get water or something!" I said precisely.

"Why do you want water if you aren't going to cook?" Seth said smugly, looking as though he thought that the argument was won. I smirked at him.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The smug look disappeared.

"If you aren't going to tell me, why should I even get water?"

"BECAUSE I'LL KICK YOUR SORRY ASS IF YOU DON'T!" I roared, shaking with the strain of not letting a fist fly.

"D-Don't yell... Pl-please..." Titty's meek voice intruded on our argument.

"WE'LL YELL IF WE WANT TO! THIS IS KANTO!" Seth and I rounded on the kid, then glared.

"Will you stop saying everything that I do?" I said, mock sweetness in my voice.

"Of course, madam, anything you like." Seth gave a bow, and I glowered.

"Get. The. Effing. Water." I forced.

"Why am I traveling with you again?" He asked, voicing my thoughts. It was then that Sandshrew waltzed over to Rui, holding a shimmering red gem in his paws.

"Saaaaa..." (Please, accept this token of-)

"Bone cube!" (Shut up, sand rodent! I'm watching this argument!)

"Shrew?" (But they stopped arguing, didn't they?)

"CU!" (Because they are watching you trying to give me presents! Now, shut up and let the arguing continue!)

"Sand." (Only if I may watch it with you.)

"Bo." (Do whatever the hell you want. Just do it quick!) So Sandshrew sat down a little closer to Rui than he needed to, but shut up. I continued to look at them.

"Seth..." I began, not bothering to call him a stupid nickname. "Is that... A _Fire Stone_?" I was staring at the rock in Sandshrew's paws. He looked up.

"Uh... Yeah. I guess so." With the same feeling of disbelief I had felt when I realized Sandshrew knew Earthquake.

"You guess- Wow, really Seth? That's a _Fire Stone_ and you just say 'Yeah, I guess so'?" I asked, and he just shrugged.

"He's got tons of those things for me. It's not like I need them."

"What in Mew's name are we going to do with you?" I shook my head at him.

"How about a massage? I could really use-"

"A drink of water? Good idea. Why don't you go and get some water for all of us while you're at it." _Bossy, bossy, bossy._ My head patronized me. _When did you become so lazy?_ Since I needed to win the argument. At Seth's obvious hesitation, I continued, "And I never lose an argument."

"Then it's time for change!" He declared.

"Vote Obama!" I retorted.

"Who's he?"

"Dunno. Just popped into my head."

"Lame!" He snorted.

"What is, your face?"

"More like your comebacks."

"Oh, that hurt _so_ much." I rolled my eyes.

"You suck." He retorted cleverly.

"Just get the stupid water!"

"Y-You know what? I-I'm going to g-get the water." Titty said, standing up. Seth and I looked at him.

"Titty say what?" I asked.

"Y-You heard me." He muttered, and I nodded in approval. Looking over at Seth, I told him,

"Looks like you're off the hook this time. But next time- be warned!" And wishing that I had a black cloak to swish, I went to a boulder and pulled my laptop out. "Is there a signal here?" I asked no one in particular.

"Beep! Beep! Boop!" Candi grinned, and did airplane imitations.

"And that helps us... how?" I asked, and did a double take at the flashing mail icon. "I guess there is." Funny how that kind of thing works out. The service in hotels is crap, while in the middle of a mountain: five bars baby! "Let's see." I opened the file to find another message from Oak, this time addressed to "Sophie Ng (ninja???)" I smirked. It read:

_Sophie Ng,_

_I do not know how you must have found out about Ash Ketchum and the Pikachu I gave him years back. But know this! Revenge is not the answer! It isn't right to smash people's noses into doors! Even if you are a ninja! I will not tolerate it any longer! I will eat tofu with mayonnaise and sauerkraut before you get any sort of revenge, for I am Professor Oak! The legendary Professor that stands heads above all others! And I will not be messed with by ANY ninjas!_

_Regards,_

_Oak (That's PROFESSOR Oak to you!)_

As you can imagine, my smirk had widened and widened, until I was laughing insanely. Seth came over and read the email over my shoulder and soon was rolling on the ground as well.

"Oak is such... a... RETARD!" I gasped.

"He really isn't... isn't... all that... smart." He was snickering. Titty stumbled back into the cavern, slopping most of the water down his front.

"Wh-What's happening?" He stammered.

"OAK!" The two of us howled with laughter.

"O-O-kay then..." He walked away, obviously not understanding what in Mew's name was going on.

"Should I reply?" My brain was happily flicking through all the different things I could write.

"Yes!" He was almost crying with mirth. My lips curled, and I put my fingers to the keys.

_Oak,_

_I'm terrified of what you will do, your threats make me feel like a fly beneath a swatter. Right. Better get that tofu and whatever else ready, because I stop at nothing for revenge. Why is it that way? Because I'm cool like that._

_And also, Prof. Rowan is ten times more awesome. Just FYI. _

_You have been warned._

_Love (haha. Right.),_

_The ninja._

Seth read my response, and rolled his eyes.

"Wow, you're really lame." I glowered.

"Excuse me?"

"I could do so much better." He smirked.

"Prove it." I challenged, feeling a little pissed off at the moment.

"Fine." He opened a new message, and wrote quickly:

_Professor Oak: You suck._

"Wow." I repeated. "And you thought that I sucked."

"Hey! Come on! Short and sweet!" Seth objected.

"A-Are we g-g-going to build a f-fire?" Titty butted in. _Here we go again._ Seth and I both took deep breaths.

"YES!"

"NO!" We shouted at each other.

"You aren't even going to cook! You're too Arceus-damned lazy!" I argued.

"Neither are you!" He snapped back.

"Sh-Shut up!" Titty was shivering, but still holding his ground. "I-I'm older!" Seth and I paused, staring at him.

"Wait... You're older?" I asked, cocking my head a little, sizing him up. "Hn." Seth was giving him the same once- over.

"And... How old are you?" Seth asked.

"F-Fifteen." Titty muttered.

"FIFTEEN?" Seth and I yelled again. Seth groaned.

"Ow... My throat hurts. Too much yelling. Sophie, tell me when dinner is ready." And he slouched off, going far away from anything vaguely related to work.

"Why," I mumbled to myself, "Is everyone older than me?" Shaking out my legs a little (they were all tingly from sitting on the rock), I realized that one of my legs was really light. Sepo was gone.

Okay, now I know a lot of you think I hate that toad-dino thing with every fiber of my being. Maybe not that bad, but still. The truth is, I'm starting to get accustomed to her ways, so much so that she's almost... almost... _cute_. Argh! Now would be a good time for a lightning bolt in the head, Zapdos.

Worried, I called,

"Sepo! Where are you?" A few seconds passed, and there was no reply. Ha ha. Right. There was a _big_ reply.

"DOOOOOOOOOOOM!" She flew from behind a rock and knocked into the backs of my thighs.

"AHHHHH!" I yelled, legs collapsing.

"Do ba ba!" (Me WUVS you!) Sepo crooned, and crunched on my arm. Titty stared, then shook himself.

"B-better than J-Jeez..." He mumbled. I snorted. And he thought _his_ pokémon were messed up.

"Where were you?" I asked, my heart not as steady as I would have liked.

"Saur bulba se se." (With Mother Electabuzz!) She answered matter-of-factly. Now that kinda weirded me out.

"Is that a Saint or something?" I looked down at her.

"Ba ba! Bulbasa!" (Ha ha! Trainer is funny!) Sepo chortled.

"Glad to know you think so." I rolled my eyes. "Rui!" The cubone looked up from an argument with Sandshrew. "Who's Mother Electabuzz?"

"Ru ri bone bone." (I'll deal with you later) She told the other ground pokémon. "Cu." (Let me get her)

"Electabuzz..." I said quietly. "... Wait a moment. _Electabuzz_?" My eyes snapped open. _What is an Electabuzz doing here?_ _It's _Mt. Moon_ of all places._ Rui and "Mother Electabuzz" walked over.

"Buzzzzzz. Lecta buzz." She nodded to me. Too bad I can't understand what she's saying. Yet.

"Translate?" I asked my Cubone.

"Bone ca bo cu ru." (She says it's an honor to meet you, and she hopes you're feeling well) I smiled. It was nice to find a somewhat normal pokémon.

"Pleased to meet you too. You have a trainer?"

"Ele... Kta kta." She nodded, and gestured to Seth, who was watching the exchange.

"Ru cu ri ri." (The boy you call Seth.) Rui added helpfully. I raised my eyebrows, and I called over to Slakoth Boy.

"You never told me you have an Electabuzz." I said, accusingly.

"There's a lot I haven't told you." He attempted to sound enigmatic, and let's face it, none of the boys I've met are any good at it. I frowned, realizing that there was a lot he had left for me to figure out on my own. Shooting him a look, I answered,

"Next thing you know, you'll be telling me you're the champion of Kanto."

"How'd you figure that out?"

"I'm cool like that." I said, with an eye roll.

"Riiiight."

"I'm going to ignore it this time, Beth." Someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned and saw Electabuzz offering me a cookie. My jaw dropped. "I'm in love with your pokémon." I informed Seth, and accepted the cookie.

"Ew. Gross." He snickered.

"Get a life." I said, and bit into the delicious cookie. "So, how come I haven't seen you before?" The electric pokémon shrugged. "That helps." I muttered, taking another bite of wonderful cookie. A yelp made me spin around. Titty had just burned himself on the fire. Fire. I was going to kill Seth and Titty _and_ Candi. After Titty made dinner.

He pulled back, nursing a burned hand, while Electabuzz hurried over to look check and make sure Titty wouldn't die. I joined the pokémon, looking at the nasty red patch forming on his hands.

"What did you try to do? Pick up the fire log?" I asked, and Electabuzz rapped me sharply on the knee for the comment. "Sorry mother." I said, with an attitude that earned me another rap on the leg.

"I-I missed..." The injured Titty whispered. "I-I went t-to p-pick up the c-cooking pot, and I m-missed..." My jaw had a hell of a time trying to stay closed.

"Okay then..." I trailed off. "Looks like I have to cook. Again." Seth began laughing loudly, and I glared. "You gotta tell me what to do, Titty boy." He nodded.

"F-First you n-need t-two teaspoons of... O-Oh no... I f-forgot what it's called..." I resigned myself to the worst. "I-It's sweet..." Candi appeared out of nowhere, dancing around behind Titty.

"Sugar, sugar, sugar!" She sang.

"A-And white..." Titty continued.

"Me loves SUGAR!" Meowth was now joining in with her own, "MEOW mew mew!"

"N-No! W-Why can't I th-think of it? It's l-like a crystal..." He looked ready to slam his head into the wall. "C-Come on! Th-Think Taeti."

"Loves mew mew!" Jeez cawed, his timing great as ever. "Taeti! Taeti can't think!"

"I-It's always in pastries..." At this point, I just had to smirk and say,

"Were you thinking of sugar, perhaps?" Titty's head nodded vigorously.

"Y-Yes! Thank y-you Sophie! Y-You're a l-life saver!" Candi pouted in the background, and my smirk turned to a fiendish smile. Titty wasn't so bad after all. Bummer he didn't have the cool kid's hat.

* * *

Oak looked at the e-mail in front of him. _FYI..._

"ARGH! What is with kids and their STUPID text language?" He roared. "How am I supposed to figure this e-mail out?" His oh-so-ingenious mind flicked through some of the possibilities. _Flay yam intestines? Nah. Forage for young something or rathers? Eh... Like that would help me. Fuck __your- you know what, I'm not even going to finish that sentence. _Exiting the mail application, the Professor rubbed his tired head, and went up to get ready for bed.

As he stepped into the bathroom to get washed up, something beneath his slipper crunched, but Oak ignored it. Pulling open the mirror, he looked around for something. He frowned, and searched more urgently.

"WHERE ARE MY EYEBROW PLUCKERS?" He bellowed, but was then abruptly silent. Slowly, a horrid dread seeping up upon him, the Professor turned to look at the thing he had stepped on. The eyebrow pluckers had been neatly crushed onto the bathroom tile. "Arceus damn you Sophie!" He snarled, but then paused as he heard a sound. "Wait. Ninjas don't make sound." Oak reasoned, and poked his head out of the doorway to find a misdreavious cackling at his misfortune. The pokémon professor scowled. That was the last time _he_ would ever keep a ghost pokémon.

* * *

***Author's Note* Sorry to all you people who like Oak for one reason or another, but the thing is: people in this fic will all look messed up at one point. I apologize. **

**"Belief at Dawn"! Oh my Arceus! That was how comedy should be. Seriously, read it. Or Sophie the ninja will attack. There will be things you don't really understand if you don't read "Belief at Dawn", so please, get the whole story. **

**I think I've told you about how I've done "B is for Bulbasaur" for J. Whitnee's "Pokemon ABC", which is about Sepo's past. Check it out if you're interested.**

**I love reviews. Seriously, they make my whole day better, to see that someone has taken the time to give me their thoughts on this fic. I can understand if you have little time, but review the chapter later? Please? Wow. I'm feeling nice today. Damn those mood swings. **

**I also wanted to propose an idea to all of you wonderful readers. As the story progresses further, J. Whitnee and I were thinking of maybe doing one of those talk show/ truth or dare things for the characters in this book. I won't be hurt if you think it's the lamest idea you've ever heard. Just tell it to me straight. Thanks :)**

**Hope you all enjoyed your Halloween!  
**


	15. Chapter 14: Reevaluation

_**Chapter Fourteen: Reevaluation **_

* * *

Dinner was a disaster, let me just say. By the time Titty remembered the rest of the ingredients, there was no saving the charred mass that made up that day's supper. Even Sepo rejected it. In the end, I just ended up passing out more rice balls. I guess that's just how my life rolls. And while we are on the subject of my life, let's just recap for a second.

1) I have a biting Bulbasaur and a Cubone with issues when it comes to sugar.

2) My pokédex is messed up. Completely. (How many pokédexes think that "F***ed up" is a pokémon personality? I didn't say anything about that experience? Good. You'll want to keep it that way.)

3) Companion 1- A lazy kid who is always up trees. And flirts with any passing females.

4) Companion 2- A girl who should seriously be a blond. That's all I'm saying.

5) Companion 3- The walking disaster dubbed Titty by the kid with a jester's hat.

6) Rival- A kid just like me, ten times magnified. Big whup.

7) And please, don't forget the professor who is probably under the blankets, sucking his thumb, terrified that the ninja will strike. The ninja being me.

Just your everyday pokémon journey. Pff, who am I fooling? MEW SAVE ME! And somehow, that adorable little pink cat just isn't up to the task. Yay me. We had slept on the hard ground, and Candi had woken me up with an urgent tapping. I groaned and rolled over.

"Wha time 's it?"

"Breakfast time!" She giggled, and I cracked an eyelid open. Sleeping in a mountain must not be my thing, because I've never felt this bad after waking up at my normal time. At my normal time. I grabbed my E-Poké and turned it on, slowly waking as the boot up sequence progressed. I took one look at the time and was ready to strangle Candi, bring her back to life, and kill her all over again. Three fourteen. In the freaking _morning_.

"Urg!" My voice cracked with tiredness. "Go away!" Pulling my blankets over my eyes, I drifted back into less-than-satasfactory sleep, Candi's pouting face the last thing I saw.

When I woke up for the second time, I felt a thousand times better than before. Right now, it looked like I was the only one up besides Candi. She kept looking at me and giggling.

"What?" I asked, right back in my "teenage snarky/ grumpy" mode. I seemed to be in that state a lot these days. Giving her an evil look, I gently shook my two pokémon awake. Rui was awake in an instant, but Sepo took a little more persuasion. Something along the lines of Rui whacking her multiple times with her club. But that's beside the point. There wasn't much we could do in the way of jogging, so I settled for regular training against Sandshrews and the like. Fun, fun, fun. My ideal workout session. There were a few interruptions from my lovely pokédex ("Trainer: Sophie Nigngnigng-" _Whack_). And I do still plan to kill Professor Oak. After I fix my messed up life first. In the mean time, at least I know my pokémon leveled up.

It looked like Titty had woken up as well, and had begun prodding the remains of the fire from last night, attempting to reawaken the embers. Seeing a spark, he knelt to ground level, and blew at the ashes, spraying spit over the fire. And it went out. I clapped my hands slowly.

"Well done, Titty boy. Well done."

"S-Sorry... Are th-there anymore m-matches?" I shrugged.

"I don't know." Then I realized that he was staring at something slightly above my eyes. "What?"

"Y-You've got s-something written on your f-forehead." He stuttered, still staring. My eyes bulged.

"_What_?" I searched for something reflective, finally grabbing Meowth and looking at the coin on her head. Sure enough, in big, black letters was the word "SUGAR".

"DAMN YOU CANDI!" I yelled, searching for the culprit. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

"Sa shrew sand!" (There you are, my l-)

"Bone." (Not the time, poo-brain.)

"Rew!" (What is the meaning of this!) I ignored them, and rubbed my forefinger against the marker. I looked at the finger. No black smudge.

"ARGH!" Yup, that's me, rampaging before eight in the morning. Aren't I the little angel?

"Tee hee! Sophie is on a rampage!" That was it. The voice whose owner I would soon smoosh. Candi.

"The only way _you_ are going to live is if Arceus and/or Mew has taken a special interest in your well being." I snarled.

"Sugar, sugar!" She giggled, and frolicked (yes, effing _frolicked_) between the rocks. Seth dragged himself from beneath his sleeping bag.

"What's all the noise?" He grunted, voice rough from hours of disuse. "I was-" Large yawn. "Sleeping."

"Really? I thought you were working out." I rolled my eyes, calming down by a slight increment. He glowered.

"Working out is for work out freaks." Seth said, sharp as a tack.

"No. Can't be."

"OH MY ARCEUS!" He had sighted my forehead. "I will give the person who did that... something amazing."

"Shut up!" Two seconds after we see each other we start arguing. Welcome to the life of Sophie, kid lawyer. Suddenly, an incredible aroma filled my nose.

"Holy crap, Mew, that smells _good_." I turned my head and saw that Titty, hands bandaged, had somehow still managed to cook breakfast. He spooned the mixture out into bowls and said (shakily as ever)

"C-Come and g-get it if your h-hungry..." Candi leapt forward.

"BERRIES!" I cocked my head. Just yesterday we were having issues with a certain lack of berries. I shot the boy a piercing look. Titty was a harder book to read than I had first imagined. Walking forward, I picked up a bowl for myself. I cautiously tasted the food. It was like I had died and gone to heaven.

"Oh... my..." The sweet, perfectly balanced with a vaguely sour tang, made my whole aspect on life get better. Right. But still, it was amazing. Candi had finished hers even before Seth had picked up his bowl.

"Yummy yummy!" She exaggeratedly rubbed her stomach. Titty gave a shaky smile.

"I-Is it g-g-good?"

"No. It's horrible." My sarcasm as timely as ever. His face fell for a second, but then he said,

"O-Oh... You were b-being sarcastic..."

"Yup." I nodded vacantly. "Hey, what does that Clefairy want?" A Clefairy was on the rock above the cooking pot, staring meaningfully at Titty's cooking.

"Oh geez!" Seth had taken his first bite of breakfast. "Sophie... I think you were right in letting Titty join us..." His eyes were dreamy as he savored the next mouthful. I smirked, and looked back up at the Clefairy, who was still intent on the food. Mother Electabuzz walked over to Titty and tapped him on the arm.

"Buzza-kta." She gestured to the Clefairy. "Za-zaa!" Titty obviously had no idea what she was saying.

"D-Don't hurt m-me..." He stuttered, and she wrapped an arm around the nervous boy.

"Ele. Buzzza." Okay, let's be frank. Electabuzzes aren't the most adorable fluffy animals in the world. Most of them have this... everlasting scowl. Mother Electabuzz is an exception, but that doesn't make her so cute you could scream.

"H-Help me..." Titty was shaking. I sighed.

"Titty, all she wants you to do is feed the Clefairy." I said.

"O-Oh... Then why d-didn't she s-say so in the f-first place?" Face palm. Taking my silence remarkably well considering what I meant Titty grabbed a flat rock and put some food onto it, then handed it to the pokémon.

"Clefairy!" It sang happily, and grabbed some of the food with its hands. "Fairy!" Its face split into a look of sheer bliss as it tasted the wondrous flavors. "Fairyyyyyyyy!" It crooned loudly. "Cle-Clefairy!"

"Rui! Translate!" I "barked", drill sergeant style. Her feet clicked together and she held her bone in a salute.

"Bone! Ru cube bone!" (Translation! Clefairy, calling all clefairy!) Gulp. This could not be pretty. Waves of pinkness flooded our cavern.

"You know, I'm getting a wee bit tired of being mobbed by pokémon." Seth groaned.

"Really? I'm completely enjoying myself right now." Lovely as ever, that's me. The mass suddenly halted, all staring at my forehead. "What? Not you too!"

"Fairy! Fairy!" They chimed, abruptly deciding to crowd around me. "Cle cle cle!" Judging from the way Rui was rolling on the ground laughing, I doubted that they were complementing me on my fabulous hair do.

"Lieutenant Sepo! Translate!" I barked out again. The bulbasaur tried to mimic Rui's actions, and ended up falling onto her back.

"Bul doom se po po!" (Yes sir! Translation: The holy one has arrived!) Now Seth was laughing.

"Sophie? The _holy_ one? Oh man... Those guys must be on something!" He snorted. The Clefairy were dancing in a circle around me.

"Er... I um..." I was sounding as bad as Titty. "Urgh... Let's ditch this joint!" I did a flying tuck-and-roll over the dancing pokémon, grabbing my stuff and putting it all in the E-Poké, then shoving the laptop into one of my pouches. My companions were all staring at me.

"A-Alright then..." Titty stuttered, then shrank away as if I was going to punch his lights out. Which I probably would have, if it was Seth. Favoritism at work.

"Let's move it! Sepo! Round up stragglers!" I called, as it became obvious they weren't going to move under their own steam.

"Yee-haw!" Candi tried a cowgirl immitation, prancing around and swinging an (air-lasso?) "Me likes croissants!"

"POOOO!" Sepo screeched, chomping at the heels of my companions.

"Urf!" Seth grimaced. "Alright! We're going!"

"H-Help! W-We're all g-g-going t-to die!" Titty yelped, and ran in circles.

"Soph-a-loaf? Why do you want to leave so badly?" Candi asked, clinging to my arm. "Wait! They're GUM SNATCHERS aren't they?" She didn't wait for my answer. "NOOOOOO! Soph-a-loaf! Evacuate cavern at once! Vroom vroom!" And she tugged me from the cavern, stronger than she looked.

"Clefairy!" The group chimed, and started to spill into the tunnel after us. Candi looked behind us and screamed.

"AHHHHH! Full speed ahead!" She shot forward like a bullet.

"Holy crap, Candi!" I yelled, and picked up my pace.

"Stop... running!" Seth called (hm... never heard _that_ before.)

"Where's the damn exit?" My throat was going to give out soon.

"Cle- Clefairy!" Something heavy landed on my shoulder, and I flinched, ready to strangle whatever had decided to use me as a perch. Rui grabbed my ponytail.

"Cu-ru-bo!" (Oh no you don't!) I breathed a sigh of relief, legs still pumping furiously. We passed an intersecting tunnel, and my pokédex bleeped from my pocket.

"Turn around and take left turn. Then proceed half a mile to next bend." It clicked off.

"Thanks for telling us now." I growled, and spun on my heels, backtracking to the other tunnel. The massive wave of pink was approaching quickly.

"PINK!" She squealed happily, then her face turned evil. "But they're GUM SNATCHERS, so we can't say hello, can we Soph-a-loaf?"

"No. We can't." I panted, and we kept moving forward. "Rui... Where's Sepo?"

"Bo bo ru ri." (Making sure that the boys keep running.)

"Great..." We rounded the bend. "Now what, retarded pokédex?" Its answer was muffled by the cloth.

"Why are you asking me?" I face palmed.

"Oh... Just thought I'd ask seeing as you _gave directions last time_." I suggested.

"I gave no such thing."

"Right... So, just a voice in my head?"

"Correct." It gave an irritating game-show ding.

"Soph-a-loaf?" Candi was breathing heavily.

"Huh?" I turned to look at her.

"I'm about to trip." She said, and I stared.

"What the he-" And right on cue, she tripped over a- wait. She didn't trip over anything. I groaned. Leave it to Candi to trip over nothing. "Up!" I yelled, and heaved the girl to her feet. "Come on!" Candi stumbled a little, before collapsing once again.

"Soph-a-loaf, protect me!" And she fell asleep. Yeah, you heard me right. She freaking fell asleep while on the run from insane Clefairys. Damn you, Arceus.

"No effing way." I said slowly, still trying to digest what had just happened.

"Clefa!" The mass of pink halted, and waggled their fingers back and forth.

"Eh?" I frowned, not understanding what was going on. They began glowing white, and I squinted my eyes. Suddenly, they were at my side. "ARGH! What the fearow? They used _Teleport_?" The Clefairys hugged me. _Well. _I thought. _That wasn't what I expected._

"Fairy! Fa fa!" They giggled.

"Rui-bone." (They want to come with you.) Rui added helpfully.

"O... kay?" I raised my eyebrow. "Remind me why I'm holy again." Rui snickered.

"Ri, bone cu." (Because you have the "mystic" inscription upon "thy brow".)

"... This is one of those times I wonder if I'm on some sort of... candid camera thing." I muttered as Rui chuckled.

"Cubone." (You wish.) I considered the situation. I had a pile of Clefairys hugging me because of Candi's deciding to write "SUGAR" on my forehead. Alrighty then. I turned around. Seth and Titty were running furiously, Sepo on their tails.

"I HATE YOU SOPHIE!" Seth yelled, panting.

"H-Hate's a strong w-w-word..." Titty gasped, stumbling a little. They reached where I was sitting by Candi, and they both fell to their knees.

"I still hate you." Gasped Seth, and he toppled over, exhausted.

"Wh-What? W-Why are they h-h-hugging you?" Titty asked. Finally. Someone who actually cares about what's going on.

"They think I'm holy." I said simply.

"O-oh... Okay then..." His breath shuddered in his throat, and he searched his bag for water. His hand shook (I guess it must be like that all the time) and he spilled water over Seth's head.

"ACK!" Seth flew up, shaking water from his hair. "SOPHIE! Why did you-" He then noticed who was holding the bottle. "Huh?" I scowled.

"Funny how you automatically assume that _I_ was the one pouring water on your head." He scowled back.

"Because it's something you _would_ do, given the chance." I snorted.

"I would do it even if I _didn't_ get the chance." I retorted, and he gave me a weird look.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't have to."

"Sh-shut up!" Titty interrupted.

"NO! THIS IS KA-" We began.

"I d-d-don't care where w-we are! J-Just sh-shut up!" Seth and I exchanged dumbfounded looks, and Titty spilled more of his water, this time on his own lap. Candi looked up.

"Uh oh! Titty had an accident!" She giggled, noting the water stain. "He forgot to look for the public restrooms! The ones with the chocolate mints!" Everyone stared.

"Candi. One: We are in the middle of Mt. Moon. There are no 'public restrooms'. Two: It's oh-so-good for your health to eat _chocolate mints_ from _public restrooms_. Heck, you don't even know if they are really chocolate mints or something else!" I told her. Then again, I'm not really sure if she understood what I was implying.

"Oh! You're right! They might be _vanilla_ mints, not chocolate! Thanks for the advice, Soph-a-loaf! You're the best!" She giggled some more and hugged me. Nope. She REALLY didn't understand what I implying. I groaned.

"So, who knows the way out of here?" I asked, looking around. Silence. "Great to know that we have a person that knows their way around." I pulled out my E-Poké. "Let's see... I-Maps would probably be a good- What the hell? Low battery? System shutting off to preserve battery? HOW DOES THAT HELP ME?" I yelled at the black screen. My pokédex bleeped.

"Species: Sophie Ng. Personality: Even more fuc-" I whacked the device.

"Very funny, Oak." I hissed. Seth snickered.

"Accurate pokédex you got there." He smirked.

"SHUT UP!" I shouted. "Now we're stuck in the middle of a mountain with a load of Clefairys and a laptop that's shuts itself off to conserve battery power!" Mother Electabuzz walked over and gave me a look that said, "Calm down, or I will not give you any dessert tonight." I glared. She frowned, and tapped the E-Poké, and the screen blinked back to life.

"Charging complete. We apologize for any inconvenience."

"Er... thanks..." I told the electric pokémon, and she gave me a patronizing look. I turned my attention back to the screen. _Too bad you can't strangle laptops._ I grumbled in my head, and loaded I-Maps. It filled the screen with a basic plan of the tunnels within the mountain, a large arrow blinking with a "You are here" signal flashing. Seth looked over my shoulder.

"Exit is there." He pointed, and continued. "So if we're here, then we have... Um... Sophie! You do the math!" I glared.

"I haven't done math in... Who knows how long." I said. "Titty! Math!" He trembled.

"Um..." He traced his finger over the map. "M-Maybe t-t-two... N-No... Three? What c-comes a-after one?"

"Oh! Oh! Pick me!" Candi jumped up and down, hand waving in the air.

"C-Candi?" Titty supplied.

"FIVE BAZILLION!" She threw her arms up into the air. I gulped.

"I guess five bazillion does come _after_ one... Just not right after..." I tried to sound like it made sense to me. "You know what? Let's just go." I turned off the laptop and stood up.

"Clefa!" The little pokémon crowded around me. Rolling my eyes, I began walking around the bend. Light flooded my vision, and I blinked. Less than a mile away was the exit. Two miles indeed.

"LIGHT!" Seth cried out, and looked as though all his troubles were solved. "Finally!" We walked the last stretch of tunnel, the light growing as we walked toward the exit. All the time, the Clefairy were dancing around, and I'm pretty sure that if they had flower petals, they'd be tossing them. But the moment we took the last step toward the exit, the Clefairys' mood changed entirely. They clung to my pants, crying, and refusing to let go.

"Time to let go." I told them, but they shook their head. "No, seriously." And still they clung to me. Frowning, I tried to dislodge them. And guess what? They let go. "Thanks guys!" I said, surprised that for once some pokémon actually listened to me. The group all began waggling their fingers, and glowed white. "Oh no." I realized what they were going to do. "RUN!" I yelled, and began sprinting along the route, mad Clefairys chasing us all the way. Add to the list of my ruined life:

8) Angry mobs of supposedly peaceful pokémon continue to attack us. Whoop-de-freaking-doo.

* * *

**_The dark figure tried to suppress his laughter. Nothing this interesting had happened since... Well, nothing came to mind. Running from Clefairys... Too bad it couldn't be TeVoed. Then again, there was no television in the super evil lair of doom. Another downside to living here. Making up its mind quickly, it barked,_**

**_"Get me a plasma screen in here, would ya?"

* * *

_**

***Author's Note* Okay! That was a weird chapter, no? You can't get much more messed up than this. I hope you enjoyed it, because it was fun to write :)**

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS!**

**First~ I made a truth or dare fic for the characters of "Belief at Dawn" and "Unseen, Unheard, Unfelt", so if you have any questions/ dares, please check out "Truth or Dare: Utter Chaos Version". I look forward to writing the next chapter!**

**Second~ J. Whitnee, Cyberwolf101, and I are looking for another author to do a collaboration with! Yes, that's right, it's a _four-way_ collaboration! The main plot is twins and pokémorphs, more details are on my (and J. Whitnee's) profile. So, check it out, and if you meet the requirements, just contact one of us! Let the fun begin!  
**

**Third~ Read "Belief at Dawn"! If it isn't on the top of your "Fics to read" list, then put it up there! Comedy, drama, and sheer awesomeness all exist within this incredible fic!  
**

**That's all for the seriously important announcements. **

**I also wanted to say that I was really happy with all the reviews I got last time. Thank you guys all so much! You rock! Please keep those reviews coming!**

**And OCs are still accepted, aren't I nice? PMs, reviews, anyway you want to give 'em, I'm still taking 'em. So have fun :)**


	16. Chapter 15: New Member: Cupcake

**_Chapter Fifteen: New Member: Cupcake_**

* * *

Our feet pounded against the grass. Gasping, I saw Cerulean ahead. _Come on!_ My head was a mess, in full flight mode. A piercing cold shot past my left cheek, and I flinched. _I. Hate. Metronome._ I decided, as more Ice Beams shot by my head. I began to zigzag, trying desperately to avoid being frozen solid. There was a jetty, sticking out onto the slow-moving river.

"Into the water!" I shouted, turning to the jetty. We pounded past a "Rent-a-Rod", and I dove off the edge. The pale green water wasn't as cold as the creek in the forest, but still set my teeth on edge. Holding my breath, I looked around. Candi and Seth had jumped in as well, but there was no sign of Titty. My lungs had a dull ache that I knew would soon grow into stabbing pain. I whipped my head around. Still no Titty. Shoving myself to the surface, I looked back at the jetty. Titty was cowering at the edge, Ice Beams pelting him. I swam to him and yelled, "Jump, idiot!" He shivered, and shook his head.

"N-No! I c-c-can't!" Seth and Candi came up, gasping for breath. More Ice Beams flew by our heads.

"Yes! Just jump!" My voice was frantic.

"I c-ca-" I grabbed his legs, and tugged him into the lake just in time to avoid an Ice Beam to the head.

"Down!" I yelled, watching as he shook his head. My eyes narrowed. "Take a deep breath." He complied, and I pulled him underwater. Titty's eye widened, and he thrashed about. I clenched my teeth. He'd loose oxygen twice as fast if he continued to panic like this. He froze, eyes widening, and I turned. A school of Magikarp was swimming our way. Titty's shaking increased. I raised an eyebrow. Titty was afraid of Magikarp? You've got to be kidding me. I opened my mouth and a few bubbles escaped, and I grimaced. I couldn't waste oxygen like that.

The Magikarp approached, mouthes gaping. Titty started to freak out right then. He pushed me away and fled to the surface of the river.

"No!" More silvery bubbles escaped from between my lips. I shot after him, trying to ignore the way my clothes clung to me, holding me back. Titty scrabbled back up onto the wharf. I exploded from the water and heaved myself up after him. The Clefairy looked up at me, at first excited, then confused.

"Fairy?" They warbled, and bounced away. Seth and Candi's heads appeared again, and were soon joined by Sepo and a murderous looking Rui. She leaped from the water and joined me on the dock.

"BONE! CU-RU!" (DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN! EVER!) Rui snarled at me, shaking water off of herself.

"Sorry." My head was swimming. "Wait... Why did they all leave?" Titty looked up.

"Y-You d-d-don't have the m-marker on your f-forehead. I-It must h-have come of in th-the water."

"Oh. That's good." I mumbled, collapsing on the wooden slats. The sun was high above us, gently heating the world, warm rays drying my soaked clothes. Sepo plopped herself down across my legs.

"Se..." (That was fun, maybe we should do it again sometime...) She sighed, and wriggled down. Seth pulled himself out of the water as Candi tried to follow suit.

"Urrr..." She grunted, trying to pull herself up. "Ah!" Candi jumped up onto the jetty, slipped on the wet wood, and fell back into the water, splashing everyone else.

"Thanks, Candi." I grumbled, plucking at my clinging hoodie. "Just what I need, more water." Twitching slightly as I felt water running out of my ears, jarring footsteps made me head snap around. A stereotypical fisherman, pocketed vest, lures-in-hat, and everything was marching toward us.

"Oi! Kids! This is a private jetty! Fishers only! Now leave!" He bellowed, face purple. Seth looked over.

"Hear ya, man. I hear ya. Fact is, we were just chilling and-"

"No chilling on a private jetty, especially not MY jetty!" The fisher's voice got even louder. My eyes narrowed, but I made my voice steady as the need to retain my dignity kicked in.

"I'm sorry. We were waiting to rent one of your rods, but you looked closed." I lied, trying hard not to let my eyes flick to the side. The man's face turned confused almost at once.

"Eh?" He said (intelligently, I might add). Seth picked up on what I was doing at once.

"Of course. I was just saying we were chilling until you opened." He added, and I smiled as sincerely as I can. Which wasn't very much, but still.

"We w-w-wer-" Titty began, and I discreetly kicked him hard. "Oof... O-Oh... Y-Yeah. That's r-r-right..." Candi lunged out of the water again.

"I saw a CHIKORITA!" She shrieked, and fell back into the water. The fisherman's eyes were wider than saucers.

"She's with us." I said, and walked to the store. It was a basic fisher's supply store, with bait, rods, lures, and (for some odd reason) about thirty different issues of "_**Smile's for Miles: A Dentistry Magazine.**_" I looked at the table of rental rates. _**One pokémon- 500 pokédollars. Two pokémon- 900 pokédollars**_**. **_**All you can catch (one hour) 1,200 pokédollars. **_I unzipped my belt pouches (thank Mew I had the sense to buy the model with watertight zippers). I pulled out the roll of cash I had earned beating the bug catchers in the Viridian Forest. Just about enough to buy a "One pokémon" deal. The fisherman walked behind the counter. "One pokémon, please." I said, placing the money on the table.

"Sure." He grabbed a rod and lure from the stand behind him and passed it over along with a cheap (version 0.00000001) Net ball. Which might as well be a downgraded pokéball for all the good it does. I walked back outside with the pole. Seeing Seth just standing there, I jerked my head at the shop.

"Rent one." I hissed, but he smirked and shook his head.

"Nah. He'll be fine with only one of us renting." I glowered and sat down, glad that this rod wasn't as high tech as that tent of mine.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Seth was taking a nap, Titty was looking for hotels, and Candi was still somewhere in the river. And I still hadn't caught a single, freaking fish.

"COME ON!" I yelled at the water. "SOMETHING TAKE THE STUPID LURE!" Candi's head popped up again.

"I can speak to fishes Sophie!" She giggled, and I rolled my eyes.

"Right..." She nodded fervently, wide eyed.

"Yup! Like this," She puffed out her cheeks and let out a raspberry. "And it makes PRETTY bubbles underwater!"

"Great to know, Candi. That's really going to help me in life." Seth's eyes had opened as Candi showed off her "skill".

"Ew... Sophie, did you let one out?" He asked, scooting to the far end of the dock. "Not fitting for a girl like you." I glared.

"No. I didn't. Candi did." Candi nodded, then stopped suddenly.

"Wait, what?" It was then that there was a tugging at my line.

"Oh my Arceus! Finally!" I gave an almighty heave, and guess what flew up onto the jetty? A Magikarp. That's right, an effing MAGIKARP! I stared at the fish. Okay, so it was a big Magikarp, but here's the catch. It was fast asleep. I only caught it because it swam right into my line while it was sleeping. I sighed, and Seth started to laugh.

"Wow, Sophie. I knew you were bad, but not THIS bad." He snorted. I stomped over to my wondrous catch and grabbed it by the tail, ready to throw it back. "I hope you don't suck so bad at catching pokémon." Seth continued, and I glared.

"I am amazing at catching pokémon." I told him firmly, and he rolled his eyes.

"Come on. You didn't catch either Rui OR Sepo. Let's face it. You suck, unlike me." Realizing he was right, I took out the Crap ball. My bad. _Net _ball. I threw it at the sleeping Magikarp. It didn't even bother to twitch on the ground or anything, it just dinged and the pokémon was caught.

"See, I'm that amazing." I said haughtily, and scooped the ball off the ground.

"Yeah, so amazing that you were able to catch a sleeping Magikarp. Your skills astound me."

"Stop using sarcasm!" I yelled.

"Whatever you wish." He replied, you guessed it, sarcastically.

"I'm going to kill you." I growled, and scanned my newest pokémon. The pokédex bleeped,

"Species: Magikarp. Trainer: Sophie N-" I thwacked it. "Level: 100-" My jaw dropped. "Ha ha. Just kidding." I whacked it _really_ hard this time. "Level: 4. Learned moves: Splash. Other notes-" My eyebrows went up. "Very large and very lazy." I groaned, and rubbed my temples. Training this one was going to be a pain in the ass.

Titty came over to the docks, and stopped short where the water began.

"I f-found a h-hotel." He said, then saw the rod in my hand. "Wh-What are you d-doing with that?"

"Uh... Baking a cake. You know the professionals all do it with _fishing rods_." I drawled, and began walking back to the store.

"Y-You c-c-caught a water p-pokémon?" He stuttered, horrified.

"No. I caught a fire pokémon." I walked through the doors and dropped the rod onto the counter. "Bye." I told the man, and walked back outside. Titty was standing stock still. I gave him a pitying look, and squinted at the river surface.

"Look! Soph-a-loaf!" Candi's head popped out of the water. "I'm in the river!" Pause.

"No way." I muttered. "Time to get out. We're going to the hotel now."

"Is it a... PRETTY hotel?" She asked breathlessly.

"Yeah. Let's go." I knelt and held out my hand. She swam over and latched onto it, and I hauled her up. "Before you fall in again." I added to myself. Seth pushed himself to his feet, and we all joined Titty on the solid ground. We walked along the road, passing shops and cinemas. "Hey, what should I name this fish?" I asked suddenly.

"Swimmy." Seth said, trying and failing to keep a straight face.

"O-O-Orange." Titty tried, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah... Any ideas Candi?" I looked at the girl, who was ogling a bakery's window display.

"CUPCAKES!" She shrieked, pointing at large cupcakes on platters.

"Okay... That works." I said. "Cupcakes the Magikarp. Doesn't make any sense at all. Perfect."

"Can we buy one, Soph-a-loaf? PLEASE?" She grabbed my arm and giggled.

"You don't want to go to the pretty hotel?"

"PRETTY? YAYS!" She ran ahead, right past the hotel.

"Turn." Seth suggested. "It might help."

"No way." I muttered, and watched as Candi swooped around, running into the doors.

"Ouchies!" She jumped right back up. "But I am a-okay! LOOK!" We all spun around. "A CAR!"

"Argh!" I shouted, and walked through the doors. "What happened to my life?"

"Well, for starters, you never had one." Seth smirked.

"You watch your back, Beth, because soon there is gonna be hell to pay." I snarled, and the receptionists looked over, frowning.

"This is a curse-free zone, miss."

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" I yelled in response.

"Here's y-y-your k-key." Titty handed me a key.

"Oh. Thanks." I nodded to him, and walked up the stairs. The rapid click of claws made me turn around. "Wha-?" Meowth snatched the key from my hand and flew up the stairs. "HEY! Give it back!"

"Mew!" (Shiny!) I pounded after her.

"Sepo! Stun Spore!" I picked her up off the ground and tossed her at the fleeing Meowth.

"DOOM!" (WHEEE!) She grabbed onto a light fixture with her vines and swung herself forward. "PO!" (Eat death!) She puffed a yellow cloud over Meowth, who twirled and avoided paralyzation. "PO!" (Eat death again!) She let out another cloud, which was dodged. "PO!" (Eat death again!) She repeated all her actions. And the stupid cat dodged again.

"Meowth!" (Shiny, very shiny!) I did a flying leap and tackled Meowth to the ground.

"Gotcha!" I wrestled the key from her grip, and sprinted to my room at the end of the hall. Jamming in the key, I wrenched the door open and hurried Sepo in. The door was then firmly slammed shut, key in pocket.

"Bulba do po ba!" (Do it again!)

"Bone." (Go jump in a lake.)

"SAUR!" (YES! LET'S GO!) Sepo squealed, and threw herself at the door.

"Why don't you just go watch some TV or something?"

"SAUR!" (YES!) I rolled my eyes as Sepo jumped onto the bed, remote in her vines, lamp in mouth.

"Why don't you let go of the lamp first?" I asked, not really expecting her to listen.

"Saur ba." (Nope! The texture is just... Incredible!)

"Cu..." (I'll take your word for it.) I sighed through my nose and pressed my head against the cool window, looking out at the street below. Just looking at all the sane pokémon made me feel ill. That was when I saw them. A boy in a jester's hat. A boy with vicious scars.

"Oh my Arceus!" I jumped, and sprinted for the door.

"Bo?" (What?) Rui asked as she jumped to my shoulder.

"It's the cool kid and his friend!" I answered.

"Se! Bo?" (Yays! Wait, who?)

* * *

Oak wasn't having a good day. Not only had the store run out of eyebrow pluckers, but he had burned his tofu. Again. Muttering angrily to himself, he searched the drawers for anything that might salvage the ruined super. With surprise, he realized the only things in the cabinets were mayonnaise and sauerkraut. Sighing, he took them off the shelf and grabbed a spoon.

"Wait a second..." He began, realizing what he was doing. "Sophie must have made this happen! She took everything and left me with these..." He trailed off, and raced to grab his baseball bat. He walked back down the stairs, warily eyeing every shadow, bat held high over his head. "I will get you, ninja." He breathed. "Someday, I will get you."

* * *

***Author's Note* Expect Jay and Nocturne back in the very near future! Hope you all are excited about that :) And Cupcakes, the Magikarp, has now joined the team! Fun fun fun!**

**Okay! I have some more IMPORTANT announcements! Please read!**

**1) "Truth or Dare: Utter Chaos Version", the truth or dare fic for this story has about three reviews, and only one has any dares in it. Please, I want to get at least three more dares before I update that story again. I don't know if you guys are not interested in it, or what, but if you are, PLEASE give me truths/ dares!**

**2) DevoTheMadCashCow and CyberWolf101 are the authors that are going to do a collaboration with J. Whitnee and myself! So stay tuned for more information about that.**

**3) "Belief at Dawn" Read, people, READ! It's funny, it's dramatic, and it is one fic that you are going to be sad about not reading. I only want to make your life better, people, that's all I want. **

**Okay, I'm looking forward to your reviews! I think I'm going to hit the big one hundred soon, and I'm _really_ happy about that. I can't wait!**

**And even better: Still accepting OCs, so keep 'em coming!**


	17. Chapter 16: Hook, Line, and Sinker

**_Chapter Sixteen: Hook, Line, and Sinker_**

* * *

Bursting through the door, I almost flattened Meowth, who had been sitting in front of the door, waiting for a chance to get the key back. I crashed into Seth as he came up the stairs.

"Why are you hurry?" He asked, irritated.

"Cool kid!" I managed, before I bounded down to the lobby.

"I know I'm cool, but why are you going to the lobby?" He called after me, and I fought the urge to turn around and deck him.

"Yeah, you're _really_ cool, Slakoth Boy." I retorted, and ran out the doors. "HEY! NOCTURNE!" I yelled, and ran toward them. He turned, purple eyes lighting in acknowledgment.

"Sophie, right?" I grinned.

"Yeah. And you're Jay, the uber-serious one, right?" The boy nodded seriously.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Hm..." I put a finger to my chin. "Well, definitely not the Gym, I _am_ a pokémon trainer after all..."

"_Right_. Sorry, I was spacing a little." He kept touching something in his pocket, and smiling a bit.

"Are you here for the Gym battle, too?" I looked over at him as we started to walk once again.

"Yeah. And to see my folks for a bit." Nocturne kicked a rock. "Plus, Jay seems to like the water." Jay just gave him a look. "Hey, you're freaked out by candles."

"Not true." Jay said. "Wax doesn't bother me in the slightest."

"Unless it's on fire." Nocturne noted.

"That is true. But I have a valid reason."

"Don't we all?"

"No. Not really." I swear, is it really so hard to _smile_ or something nice like that?

"SOPHIE!" Seth's yell made me flinch.

"YEAH?" I shouted back, turning around.

"WHERE'RE YA GOING?" I looked at Nocturne.

"Where are we going?" He shrugged.

"To your doom."

"Oh." I pondered this, before yelling, "TO THE GYM!"

"WHAT FOR?"

"COME HERE AND TALK PROPERLY!" I rubbed my throat, and waited for Seth to make his merry way over. As Seth walked, Nocturne whispered mischievously,

"So... You two going out?" I jumped, and gave him a nasty look.

"Really, Nocturne? Really?" He snickered.

"You sure about that?"

"No." I rolled my eyes. "I'm absolutely in _love_ with Slakoth Boy." _Please say this kid understands sarcasm. For crying out loud, Mew, the world is ignorant enough as is._

"What was that, Soph-a-loaf? Did I hear you right?" Seth smirked, as he joined us.

"Yes, Seth, I just confessed my undying love for you." I drawled.

"Nothing new then."

"Uh... What?"

"Girls are _always_ telling me they lo-" I gave him a dope slap to the back of the head. "You know, I really ought to be expecting that these days."

"Can we get to the Gym?" Jay asked bluntly, looking a little impatient.

"Yeah... Gosh, Seth, stop delaying us!" I said, and Nocturne looked smug. "What?"

"_Nothing_." He said unconvincingly, and I glared.

"Please, can we get to the Gym?" Jay groaned.

"Fine, fine!" I held up my hands. "Let's go." As we walked to the Gym, a pattern developed. First, Nocturne would do his little, "You sure you don't-", which I would cut off with an evil glare of death. Then Seth would ask what Nocturne said, Nocturne would begin to tell him, and I would roll my eyes, and release Sepo upon him. Of course, all Jay would say was, "The Gym, remember?" Silence for about thirty seconds, then the pattern was repeated. How fun.

"Is this what your life is like all the time?" Nocturne asked in the end, as I recalled Sepo. I considered this.

"If you take away a super-serious kid and a slippery little jester guy, add a crazy, sugar-hyped immature fourteen-year old, along with her shiny-obsessed cat, then yes, it is exactly what my life is like. Wait. Forgot about the nervous wreck who draws eyes on his Zubat. At least he can cook."

"The Zubat can cook?" He asked, and I sighed wistfully.

"I wish. Then neither Seth _nor_ Candi would bother me about food."

"I do not bother you about food!" Slakoth boy objected.

"It's not like you bother Candi about it." I retorted.

"There's a reason for that."

"Just like there's a reason why you shouldn't ask me."

"And that would be?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Uh... I suck at cooking? No... That can't possible be it."

"Good point. But I still think-"

"Can you guys stop arguing for one second?" Jay asked, looking like he was at the end of his tether.

"I would say 'This is Kanto, we can argue if we want to,' But that's been getting too overused." I told the boy.

"We try to keep our arguments fresh and exciting." Seth added, "You know, more consumer friendly." Jay gave us a blank stare.

"Aaaaand he's quiet." I finished. "There's the Gym. Finally." We pushed the rotating glass doors and entered the lobby.

"Eh... What's with all the fish?" Seth muttered, looking at the walls, which were covered with fish tanks.

"Could it possibly be because this is a water Gym?" I said with an eye roll. A computer similar to the one in Pewter City's Gym was at the reception desk. Nocturne pressed the Shift key, and it flickered to life.

_**Welcome to the Cerulean City Gym, home of the tomboyish mermaid Misty! Please use this computer to sign up for your challenge!**_

"Isn't a 'tomboyish mermaid' an oxymoron?" Seth raised his eyebrow at the description. "I mean, it does sound pretty hot, but still..." I ignored him and watched as Nocturne typed in his name in the eight-o-clock slot for tonight.

"That seems pretty soon. You in a hurry?" I asked the boy, who shrugged.

"My folks wanted to watch me battle, and they have work tomorrow."

"Oh. Right." I typed in my own name for nine the next morning. "Here Seth. This is a computer. You press your fingers on the little squares to make letters." He gave me a look, and typed his name. "What the- Seth, we aren't going to be here three years from now." I said, looking at the date where he had entered his name.

"Damn. I thought you wouldn't notice." He grumbled, and selected the time three hours after my battle.

"I'm a ninja. I notice all." I smirked at him. "Jay, you not gonna sign up?" He shook his head.

"I'm not qualified." Jay grumbled. "Not an official trainer." I exchanged glances with Seth.

"Oh." We said shortly. "Mind if we come and watch your battle?" I continued, looking at Nocturne.

"I would absolutely hate it." He grinned.

"Cool. We'll be here then." Seth answered, and Nocturne gave me a meaningful look.

"Yeah, it would be like a date for you two."

"Uh huh, and we'd double with Candi and Titty." I replied with a derisive snort.

"It's strange. For some reason, I just don't see them getting together." Seth smiled a little. "I wonder why that could be..." We walked back out of the Gym, Nocturne making faces at all the passing Goldeen in the tanks.

Outside, we walked back along the way we had come.

"What pokémon are you gonna use?" I asked Nocturne, who was polishing his pokéballs.

"I only have two, so... My Mawile and Eevee, I guess."

"You have an _Eevee_?" Surprise was evident in my voice. "But... Those are so rare and stuff..." He smirked.

"My dad has connections." He said cooly, tossing his head.

"Oh, aren't we all humble and modest." I grumped. _I wish my dad had those kinds of connections. Wait. That's how I got my E-Poké. Riiiiight. I almost forgot._ My dad was the head programmer for Berri, the creator of all the "E" products along with the "Berry" ones (take the iSitrus, for example).

From inside the hotel, familiar voices could be heard.

"P-Please, C-Candi, don't b-b-break into th-the kitchen, just because there aren't a-a-anymore Cheri berries!" Three guesses as to who said that.

"But there aren't anymore Cheri berries!" Candi's voice pouted.

"I-I know that, but y-you c-can't break into the k-kitchen!"

"But Cheri berries have SUGAR! And Candi likes sugar!"

"Sugar, AWK, Candi!" Jeez cawed.

"WHERE'S THE CANDY?"

"So, I take it that's the nervous wreck and the-- what was it?-- sugar-hyped fourteen year old?" Nocturne guessed.

"Ding ding ding." Seth muttered, and looked at the door handle. "So... Is someone going to open it?" We all stared at the handle, then at each other, then back to the door.

"Nah." Everyone said at once. The door banged open on its own, and guess who came out?

"SOPH-A-LOAF!" Candi grabbed me and tugged me inside. "Titty won't let me raid the kitchen! Make him go poof!"

"Poof?" I asked, with a confused expression. She nodded vigorously.

"Yep. Poof! Into pretty pink SHINY smoke!" Candi clapped her hands excitedly at the prospect. "And then it will be SHINY!"

"You already said that." I told her, and she frowned.

"Did I say 'pink' to many times? I meant to say SHINY!" She looked me straight in the eyes, beamed, and added, "Want some gum, Soph-a-loaf?"

"I think this would be a good time to ask if there are any rooms that lock from the outside." I said, knowing that she wouldn't understand what I meant. "Wanna go watch some TV, or something?"

"YESH! And we can order room service!" Clamping onto me with a grip of steel, she pulled me up to her room. _I don't think I'll mention that B&B's don't have room service._

* * *

Dinner came and passed, I won't bore you with the details. Fine. You want an overview? I'll give an overview.

First- Walk into restaurant and Candi demands a refund (don't ask why)

Second- Order food and another set of silverware (Meowth stole all the shiny things on the table)

Third- Try to eat food while Seth is flirting with everything that resembles a female.

Fourth- Laugh asses off when a "girl" turns out to be a shman (man that looks like girl=shman)

Fifth- Dodge flying fries as Seth attempts to KO everyone at the table

Sixth- Get bill as Candi demands another refund. Which she didn't get, for some reason.

Seventh- Leave restaurant in a hurry before manager comes to kick us out himself.

That wasn't boring? You're right. I guess it wasn't, for you maybe. But if you've been listening to me so far, then this is everyday life. What a bundle of happiness.

Walking to the Gym was about as much fun. Meowth was poking Mother Electabuzz with a fork, getting a nasty shock each time. Sandshrew was trying to give something else to Rui, who was smacking him firmly with her club. I looked over at the thing Sandshrew was trying to give her. Yup, whaddya know. A pretty little Fire Stone. Again.

"Just take it." I muttered to Rui, who was getting some extra practice whaling on Sandshrew's skull. "I want it." The Cubone relented in her attack.

"Cube..." (Fine...) She held out her paw and accepted the stone.

"Sa, shrew sand se!" (So you have accepted my gift! Now-)

"Ru bone-sa?" (You gonna make something out of it, sand rodent?) She growled, and handed the stone to me. I dropped it into a pouch at my belt, and continued on my way.

"You taking advantage of Sandshrew now?" Seth asked, his tone not giving away whether he was angry or not. I shrugged, saying carefully,

"I wouldn't call it that." I received an eye roll.

"Whatever. It's not like I'm in short supply of those things." He said indifferently.

"Not in- You know, I'm not even going to be surprised, dumbfounded, etc. anymore." I'm pretty sure my life is being filmed and televised on some comedy station. People have a really twisted sense of humor these days.

I pushed through the revolving doors into the Gym, the other three close on my tail. From the sounds of chatter beyond the doors I figured we made it on time. The sound of a half terrified, half ecstatic shriek broke through to me. Candi had gotten stuck in the doors.

"I should have been expecting that." I mutter, and walk back to the doors.

"WHEEE- AUGH! WHEEEE!" She squealed, as the doors propelled her in circles. "FUNNNNNN!" I grabbed at one of the panels, missed, and nearly took off my fingers. Narrowing my eyes, I made another snatch, this time halting the door and letting a very wobbly Candi stagger out. "Funzies... Oh! Look! A door!"

"In other words, she's back to normal." Seth said. "Let's go before all the good seats are taken. I hate having to crane my neck to see." I gave him a mock salute, supporting a wobbly Candi.

"Wh-Why are w-w-we here, again?" Titty asked, looking appalled at the amount of fish in the tanks. "Th-There is n-nothing b-but fish..." I shook my head.

"Are you telling me you don't want to see your rival battle? Psh." I almost relished the look of stun on his face.

"Onward!" Candi shouted, pushing herself off my arm and leaping toward the door for "Spectators". She tripped, bringing me down with her. Surprise, surprise. Deciding that dignity would be too hard to maintain today, I just stood and pulled Candi up. She giggled vaguely, and spoke, "Hi-ho Silver! Away!" And made a mad dash to the door. Rolling our eyes, Seth and I pulled Titty after her.

Finding seats, we looked down into the large pool below. Brightly colored inflatable rafts moved slowly across the surface of the cerulean water, except for two larger ones which remained stationary, holding up Misty and Nocturne. For a few minutes it looked like they were giving their pokémon a pep talk, for when the bell chimed eight times, both of their teams were looking pumped and ready for action.

"So, Nocturne, you have come to challenge me. The rules will be two pokémon each, the winner gets the Cascade Badge!" The crowd cheered. "All items and switching out is allowed! Are you ready to face the Gym Leader of Cerulean?" She called, and Nocturne grinned.

"Ready as I'll ever be to take down the little mermaid!" He jibbed, and Misty's eyes narrowed. I watched as her mouth formed the words "Oh, you'll pay for that one" soundlessly.

"Choose your first pokémon!" She pointed her finger at Nocturne. "Staryu, I choose you!" The starfish pokémon jumped to one of the floats, landing perfectly.

"Go! Deceit!" His Mawile leaped into action, landing on its own float, making it sag heavily.

"Challenger gets first move!" Misty added, as there was silence for a few seconds.

"Oh. I was sure that the dainty lady ought to go before I."

"ARGH!" Misty roared in rage. "Staryu! Teach them a lesson! Water Gun!" The tip of one of the Staryu's points bent forward.

"Dodge with Faint Attack!" Nocturne ordered swiftly. The water shot toward Deceit, only to pass through a haze of black. The crowd around us gasped as a formless black figure shot at the Staryu.

"Stop it with Water Pulse!" I mentally thwacked her. _Idiot! _I screamed in my head. _Faint Attack can't be avoided! _The Staryu let out another blast of water, a high pitched, sonar-like sound piercing my ears. The cloud passed right through it, unable to be deterred from its original path. The force hit the water pokémon, causing it to stumble slightly.

"Now Bite!" Was the next order from Nocturne. "And fling it off the water!" The Mawile seized the Staryu and tossed it into the air with a powerful throw of its jaw.

"Reverse directions with Bubblebeam!" Now something she said made sense. The Staryu blew a flurry of bubbles from its tip, hitting the underside of the glass dome, sending it back into the pool. "Now Minimize and stay in the water!" The Staryu glowed light blue and began shrinking down to a fraction of its original size. The crowd gasped again.

"Aw... Afraid my Mawile is gonna eat your wittle Staryu? So to keep it safe you tell it to hide? Aw..." Nocturne teased again.

"We're not afraid!" Misty snarled at the boy.

"Don't worry. It's completely understandable." He said, with mock sympathy. "You can always just do those attacks from a distance, and you'll be completely safe." He nodded sagely. The Gym Leader's face was turning a dark red.

"That's it! We aren't afraid, and I'm going to prove it! Staryu! Give the best Tackle you got!" She went for the bait, hook, line, and sinker. I gave her another mental smack. _Okay, let's think about your choice here. 1) You made your Staryu shrink to a fifth of what it was. 2) To efficiently tackle something, you usually need as much mass as you can get. 3) What idiot tells their pokémon to Tackle a Steel Type? It's not like it's gonna do much damage. _But mini-Staryu was already soaring through the air toward a very unconcerned Deceit. On contact, the Staryu ricocheted off Deceit's body, like a coin from a lieutenant's bunk. Stunned, it lay there as Nocturne gave the final command.

"Vise Grip until it faints!" Deceit picked the puny Staryu from the float, and squeezed it between her hands until the light in from the gem flickered and died away, leaving only a feeble spark in its place.

Deceit dropped the KOed pokémon back onto the raft. Grimly, Misty took out a pokéball.

"Return, Staryu. You did a great job!" Her voice was tense with ill-disguised anger. She glared over at Nocturne. "But I was just getting warmed up! Go, Starmie!" The purple star took its predecessor's place on the float.

"Pretty words, mermaid, pretty words." Nocturne jeered. "Would you like the first turn again? Ladies first." Misty almost snarled with rage.

"Water pulse!" She nearly shrieked. The Starmie leaped into action at once, letting out another geyser accompanied with the sonar like sounds.

"Faint Attack!" Nocturne yelled, too late. As Deceit began to disappear once again, the spout hit her hard, making her reel backward into the water. "No!" Nocturne's face was intense as he watched his pokémon sink below the surface. I squinted my eyes, looking around for any sign of the Steel Type. Catching a glimpse, I realized with shock that it was swimming further down.

"What the hell?" I asked, causing many parents to give me a nasty look.

"Pretty water! Pretty blue! Pink is da best!" Candi sang, playing a hand game with Meowth. Seth was squinting as well, while Titty was hiding his head in his oversized jacket.

"I think she's confused..." Seth suggested, giving the only plausible reason he could think of at the moment.

"Makes sense. Kinda." Everyone continued to watch as the swimming began to get more frantic, Deceit not understanding why she couldn't reach the surface. Finally, she returned to the surface, knocked out. With a sigh, Nocturne pulled out her pokéball.

"Return, Deceit. Well done." The pokémon was swallowed up by the flames. "Go! Dusk!" He tossed another ball and his Eevee appeared. I could feel jealousy well up inside me. Squishing it with an, _Oh well. They do kinda have sucky stats anyway._

"Veee!" It cried happily, bouncing around on the float. Nocturne shot Misty a smug look.

"Alright! Let's take out that Psychic fish! Shadow Ball!"

"EEE!" She reared up onto her back legs, a dark gray ball forming in her mouth.

"Confuse Ray, Starmie, then Swift!" A pale yellow ball took shape within the Starmie's gem. The Shadow Ball was released. Spinning through the air, it imploded against the Confuse Ray. The Starmie was ready, and it launched the gold stars.

"Dodge and get another Shadow Ball ready!" I could see him anxiously rubbing his hands off on his pants. Dusk complied, doing a dive-roll while creating another ball. _What is wrong with these people? They keep telling their pokémon to dodge what CAN'T be avoided. Idiots._ "Delay a bit!" He ordered, as the stars made Dusk nearly collapse into the water, still managing to hold onto the Shadow Ball. Misty frowned, wondering what he was doing. "What, can't follow me, mermaid?" He jeered.

"ARGH!" She roared. "I WILL-"

"Now!" Dusk released the Shadow Ball, Nocturne having taken advantage of Misty's blind anger. It hit the Starmie, who collapsed on the float. Nocturne punched the air. "Whoo! One hit KO! Eat that, mermaid!" He gave Dusk a hug, and accepted the badge.

"Yeah, great job and all that." The Gym Leader muttered sulkily. I smirked, and looked at Titty.

"Well, you think you can take him on?" I asked. All I got for a response was a whimper and a shaky,

"No more seafood! No m-m-more seafood!" I exchanged glances with Seth, and we shrugged. Then again, how could I have expected any different?

* * *

Ash watched in amazement as Pikachu hauled back the large sack of food.

"Where did you get all that?" He asked, stunned.

"Pika, pika pi! Chu! Pika!" (I stole it all from Oak! I left him with nothing but mayonnaise and sauerkraut!) Ash, translating this wrong said,

"Oh, a restaurant owner gave it to you? That was really nice! We should thank him!"

"Chu..." (Wow, you're an idiot...)

"I know! And maybe a card, too!" He went on excitedly. "Maybe Brock will have some ideas!"

"Pika CHU!" (You IDIOT!) Ash smiled fondly at his starter.

"Aw... You're so sweet. It makes me want to hug you." And he did just that, receiving a Thundershock in return. "Darn it! I thought I broke you of that habit!"

"Pi, chu pi." (You also think I'm housebroken.) [The following scene was removed due to censoring and utter nastiness/ toilet humor]

* * *

***Author's Note* BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! The Four-Way collab has taken off! The "Synergetic Sins" Series is now published, so please have a look! I have more info on my profile as well as a little preview as to what it's about. **

**My truth or dare will also be on hold for now, as writing multiple fics is harder than I had ever imagined (now I know EXACTLY how some of you feel), but I will work on it whenever I get the chance. **

**Oh, and congrats to yomaster for being the 100th reviewer! Yay! Yomaster- I got your note about your OC, and I'm doing my best to include everyone one's, but I'm afraid that not so many people will get main/ recurring parts. For this, I apologize. **

**Well, I am still taking OCs, and reviews make me happy! You all know the feeling :) Tell you what, if you review, I'll check out and review YOUR fics! Yes, that's right, YOU get more reviews! Woo! **

**And thank you to all you who have reviewed so far! I love you, you really make me keep writing. Your role is more important than you can imagine :) So long, and thanks for all the fish (you get a cookie if you can tell me where that line came from!)**


	18. Chapter 17: Poison and Cheri Slushies

**_Chapter Seventeen: Poison and Cheri Slushies_**

* * *

I was awoke in the middle of the night, for no other reason than I just woke up. With a groan, I propped myself onto my elbows and peered into the darkness. The comforting pulsation of the Pecha Berry on the E-Poké was all that I could see, the laptop hovering a little above the surface of the desk. Shifting into a more comfortable position, I shut my eyes again with an overlarge yawn. Forcing myself to breathe deeply, I tried to fall back asleep. Seconds later, as my sleep deprived brain finally processed what I had just seen, my eyes snapped open. I tore off my sheets and jumped to the floor, fists clenched, ready for whatever it was that was making my laptop _float_.

"Bone cu- ru cube?" (What the- What in the name of Mew are you _doing_?) Rui's head struggled to make it over the nest she had made of the blankets.

"My E-Poké was floa- Hey! It stopped!" I glared at the laptop. "Darn it! I swear, things just won't stay put!" Growling threats at my laptop, I flopped back into bed, tugging the sheets over my head. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut, willing sleep to banish my insanity. "Ouch!" I yelped, as something bit my toe. "Damn you, Sepo." I croaked out. Stupid Oak and his sleep-biting starters.

* * *

The next day dawned, bright yet somehow chilly, and I left the hotel for a jog, wanting to clear my head of the previous night's weirdness. That, and the fact that my Magikarp needed training so much it wasn't funny at all. Okay, maybe for all you fancy people out there it is funny. Personally, I'm not too hot on my life right now. In any case, we ended up by the river again. Tugging out Cupcake's (remind me why I named him that again) pokéball, I tossed it onto the bank, watching the Magikarp flop out. _It would be _so_ easy just to release it..._ I thought, watching as the fish fell back asleep. Then I thought of Seth, and my resolve hardened. _No. I'll show him_.

"Right. We gotta get to work." I said promptly. "Sepo, wake Cupcake up." Sepo bounded forward and chomped Cupcake on the gills, causing him to open his eyes for a moment.

"Kaaaaaaaaaarp." Cupcake moaned, and shut his eyes again. Rui, Sepo, and I all exchanged glances.

"GET UP!" I shouted, shaking the fish lightly. It snored.

"Do doo sa bulba!" (Try a different tactic!) Sepo suggested, poking the sleeping water pokémon.

"... Bone." (... You know, that was actually intelligent.) Rui's voice couldn't have been more surprised.

"Okay then... Cupcake," I began sweetly. "If you train you get a treat of your choice!" Cupcake opened one eye, considering my offer. The other eye opened hesitantly.

"Gi maaaa." The Magikarp went up onto its fins.

"What's he saying?"

"Cube be. Rui sa." (Only if you give him a Cheri Berry Slushie. With extra Cheri Berries.)

"Can you even _drink_ things?" I asked, looking down at him.

"MAAAAG!"

"Se pooooo!" (He said: Don't doubt the MAAAAASSSSSTER!) I groaned.

"Fine. Whatever. Show me what you got!" Cupcake got up, and plunged into the water. A few seconds later, I could see the spiky, yellow fin above the surface of the water. With a number of bubbles, the pokémon vanished beneath the surface once again. Then the water was in turmoil, water churning and splashing everything. A knocked out Goldeen floated belly up to the surface, a triumphant Cupcake beneath.

"What the heck did you do? You're a freaking _Magikarp_!" My voice rose, startling a number of Pidgeys. "Oh, the pathetic orange fish, otherwise known as the weakest pokémon in existence, just beat up a Goldeen in less than ten seconds."

"Magi!"

"Bone-ru. Sa sa ri cu." (He said that he sat on it. Then snored in its face.) Rui looked like she, too, was having trouble with the mental image.

"Is it even possible for Magikarp to sit?"

"Doom poo!"

"Excuse me?"

"Doom poo pa sa!" (I said, YESH!)

"Oh. It kinda sounded like- never mind."

"Kaka!"

"What now?" I grumbled.

"Se!" (He says you owe him a slushie.) Sepo added helpfully.

"I'll get Candi to take you out for one later. But for now-" A russeling in the bushes behind me made me do a one-eighty. Glittering red eyes set in a cute, blue head, peered out at me.

"Nidoran , the poison-rabbit-mouse-rodent-kind-of-thing. Will sting you in the ass if you are threatening it. This one is more temperamental than most." I glared at the pokédex as it stated the data._ I will kill Oak. _I promised myself for the umpteenth time.

"Well, my _dear_ Cupcake, why don't you show us your skills and take out this pokémon."

"Karp ma."

"Cubone-sa ra." (He said to go the hell away unless you have a slushie to offer.) Rui said, snickering a little.

"I'll give you all the slushies in the world later, just do SOMETHING!" My patience was wearing thin. And do something he did. With a contemptuous flick of the tail, he Splashed us all with water. Needless to say, Rui and I were suitably pissed off. "ARGH!" I roared, shaking water off of me.

"BO!" (Die, miserable fish-belly!) My Cubone snarled, and leaped at Cupcake. Sepo was pretty happy. Damn those plant types. The Nidoran in the bushes was rolling on her back with laughter, and Sepo went over to join her.

"Po po DOOM!" (Hey, what's YOUR favorite poffin?) She asked conversationally.

"Nido- ra ra! DORA!" The pokémon was still overcome with fits of laughter.

"Ahhhh... Doo- doo!" Again, I had to do a double take at what Sepo had said. Pokéspeak is such a pain sometimes.

"CU!" Rui rushed at the fish, cracking her bone over its head, and hoisting it above her. I couldn't help but be impressed. That freaking Magikarp was four times the size of Rui.

"Karrrp..." Though I couldn't tell what he was saying, I could tell it was a complaint.

"Ru! Ra-ha!" (Feel the pain of DEATH! MUAHAHA!) She heaved Cupcake over onto the Nidoran with laughing fits.

"Do do ran!" She yelped, crushed beneath the weight of him. "Niiiiiii RAN!" Cupcake flew five feet in the air as the poison rabbit, flung him off. "IDO!" She charged at me.

"Aw... Crap, Arceus. What have I done to deserve this?" I shouted up at the sky. Diving to one side, I pulled Rui away. With a snort, the pokémon came hurtling back toward me. "Bonemerang, Rui!" I yelled, dodging the Nidoran once again. Rui tossed her bone, conking the blue rabbit-thing on the head. With an angry squeal, her claws glowed as she prepared a Fury Swipes. Sepo was laughing and rolling around in the mud drunkenly.

"Bul!" (Mud! Glorious mud!) Claws extended, Nidoran attacked Rui with a vengeance. _I thought Fury Swipes could only be used five times in succession... _Realizing what I was thinking, I quickly gave a,

"Bone Club! Now!" These moves were supposed to be super effective, yet this Nidoran was taking them, while still managing to attack. I had to keep her from moving. "Sepo! Get your leafy butt over here!" Sepo's head popped up, eyes glinting.

"Doo-doo-da dooom!" She crowed, and attempted a few summersaults. Which, I might add, are a pain to do with a bulb attached to your back. Just saying.

"Ditch the summersaults and get over- AUGH!" A powerful force hit my knees and made them collapse. That stupid Nidoran had used Double Kick on me. "You! Sepo! Stun Spore on this..." I didn't bother to finished my sentence. I think my thoughts were clear.

"Po!" A puff of --okay, fine-- _shiny_ yellow dust later, and the Nidoran was paralyzed, legs up in the universal "dead bug" pose.

"Okay I think we should clear-" I paused, my mind creating an alternative. "Better yet, I think I'll send this _lovely_ pokémon to a... friend." I grinned evilly, pulling out a pokéball. Tossing it, the Nidoran was soon enveloped in the mist-like flames. The pokéball twitched a little, small light blinking. Then there was a _bleep_ and the pokéball ceased its movement. Trying hard not to laugh at the prospect of what I would do, I picked up the pokéball and set it in my belt. "Well, shall we continue?" Yeah, I was in a _freaking_ good mood.

* * *

Returning to the hotel after training, I couldn't deny that there was a spring in my step. It was a perfect day, I was going to challenge (and beat) Misty, and I will have exacted my revenge on a certain person. Almost whistling, I walked into the eating area of the hotel.

"SOPH-A-LOAF!" Came the familiar scream. "They have CROISSANTS!" Giggling, she hugged me. "Good morning! Would you like some gum?" Still stupidly happy, I replied,

"Nah thanks. Maybe after breakfast?" She clapped her hands excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Yesh! Yesh, yesh, YESH! And we can sample ALL the pastries! I wuv you!" She babbled, tugging me toward the long buffet table. Putting on an air of a food critic, she handed me a plate. "Today, the croissants are extra buttery, flaky, and sugary!" She went on. "A perfect croissant, rivaled only by the cinnamony Teddiursa claw!" She grabbed a couple of each said pastry and placed them on my plate. "Sure to please even the stuffiest maw. OH MY ARCEUS! Soph-a-loaf! I made a rhyme!"

"Yup, here, how about you take this plate..." I began, handing the plate to her.

"Are you sure? Yays! Thank you Soph-a-loaf! You're so nice!" She took the plate and ran off to the table with Titty and Seth. I grinned.

"That was easy." I said to myself, grabbing some eggs and berries for Rui and Sepo. I had decided that Cupcake would get to stay in his pokéball. Joining the others at their table, I kept a wary eye on Meowth, who was eying my silverware. Splitting the berries into even amounts (I had gotten equal numbers of Cheri Berries this time around) I handed them to my pokémon.

"So... How is training that Magikrap coming along?" Seth smirked at me. "Oops, did I say Magikrap? I meant Magikarp. Honestly. You know I wouldn't insult your pokémon." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah? Well, Seth, where did you learn about pokémon? _Everyone_ knows that Magikarp are ten times stronger than Arceus." I retorted. He smiled benignly.

"I'm not about to insult the only pokémon you've ever caught on your own."

"I caught another today, alright?" I growled, good mood fading a little.

"Another Magikarp?" I sighed at his words.

"Really, Seth? Really? Yes, I caught another Magikarp because I _love_ them so much."

"It's not like you're telling me what you did get."

"Fine!" My voice rose a little. "Here, I'll let my pokédex explain."

"Species: Nidoran . Trainer: Soph-" _Thonk. _"The poison-rabbit-mouse-rodent-kind-of-thing. This one enjoys stinging people's asses for no reason at all." By the end of its little speech, Seth was laughing so hard, tears were nearly falling out of his eyes.

"Oh my Arceus. Oh... My... Arceus. Oak actually gave you... _that_?" He gasped, and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut. _I will not kill him here. I will not kill him here. _I chanted, and eventually opened my eyes.

"Yes, now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get my revenge." Swallowing my last portion of eggs, Rui and Sepo resumed their usual places.

"Have fun!" Seth grinned, and waved.

"Soph-a-loaf!" Candi yelled, and I turned. "Catch!" She chucked a piece of gum at me, making it hit me in the forehead.

"Thanks, Candi. I appreciate it." And I walked up to my room, where I hoped to find a little bit of sanity. Naturally, I had forgotten about the floating laptop.

Ha. Just kidding. My E-Poké wasn't floating. What would ever make you think that it was? Don't answer that. Instead, I turned the power on, and watched the boot-up sequence. My sadistic happiness was returning. _Oh... He is _so_ going to get what's coming._ My lips curled into a smile. _I'm so evil._ Clicking on the "Pokémon Storage" button, I went to the "Send to Oak" folder.

"Please hold pokémon you wish to send to the professor up to the scanner." The digital voice chimed. "Then press the enter button." Pulling Nidoran's ball from my belt, I did just that, watching as the pokéball disappeared in a flash of the soft yellow light. "Would you care to add any notes on this pokémon?" It asked, and I pressed "Yes". I typed the message. He would never know what was coming.

* * *

After doing all the fun bathroom stuff (brushing teeth, washing face, and all that blah), I bounded down the steps and back into the dining area.

"Let's move it!" I yelled, tugging everyone from their seats. "We got ten minutes to make it!"

"Argh! You're always in such a rush!" Three guesses as to who the complainer was.

"Move your lazy ass. We gotta go!" I grabbed his forearm and pulled him out of the hotel, Candi and Titty following our lead as usual.

"Yeah, says the girl with the retarded pokémon." I glared at Seth, and continued walking, still pulling him along.

"Ouch. That hurt." I grumbled, tuning out his complaints for the rest of the walk.

Heading through the revolving doors, I made sure to go behind Candi, to avoid her "door trouble". And somehow, I forgot about Meowth, who was taking up the rear. I sometimes question whether or not I'm all that sane.

"MEOWWW! MEW!" Came the shrieking as Meowth went turbo speed around the door. "Meoooooooowth!" About to go and rescue her, I stopped myself, with a _She'll figure it out eventually._

"Later!" I called to them as we went through separate doors, Meowth still stuck in the oh-so-complecated doorway.

"G-G-Good luck..." Titty looked as though he was on the verge of breaking, jumping whenever a Goldeen swam into view.

"Yeah. G'Luck." Seth nodded to me. "Hope ya don't need it."

"Aw.. Thanks Beth. I appreciate it."

"GOOD LUCK! Oh! Do they have the chocolate mints here?"

"Don't count on it." I told her, hoping she wouldn't end up in the hospital for eating... stuff.

On the other side of the door, I found myself standing in front of the pool, a float at my feet. Misty was on the other end, yelling into a cell phone,

"MOM! Be quiet! I do NOT need anger management lessons, ya hear? I am COMPLETELY calm ALL the frigging TIME! NOW SHUT UP!" She screeched, and snapped the phone shut. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" She screamed at me. I blinked.

"Uh... I thought I was looking at you, but apparently not."

"SILENCE!" She pulled out her two pokéballs. "Anyway, you know the rules, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go already."

"Fine." She glared. "Ruin my dramatic moment, will ya?" I smirked. "Send out your first pokémon!" My mind raced. I knew she was going to send out Staryu first and save Starmie for later. I would need my best against Starmie. Rui couldn't do anything, she was clinging to my neck, not daring to step on the float. Right now, Sepo was my best bet. Which meant... "Go, Staryu!" The star pokémon reappeared, and with a feeling of foreboding, I pulled out his pokéball.

"Go, Cupcake!"

* * *

Oak read the message attached to the pokémon Sophie Ng had sent earlier.

_Dear Professor Oak,_

_I realize that I have been most disrespectful to you recently. I must deeply apologize for any hurt that has caused you. I can only hope that you will accept my apology, and I have also sent a somewhat rare pokémon to help you with your studies._

_Hope you are well,_

_Sophie Ng_

He nodded with satisfaction. That was more like it. She had even given up a "somewhat" rare pokémon so that he could further his research. The scanner on the top of his computer bleeped, and a pokéball materialized on the desk. Picking it up, a wave of nostalgia overcame him, and a boyish grin spread across his face.

"Go, pokémon!" He yelled, tossing the pokéball. A Nidoran appeared from the flames. "Aw... Aren't you a little cutie!" Oak cooed, as the pokémon took in her surroundings. Deciding that she didn't like both the lab and the man in the lab (whose eyebrows were abnormally large) she charged at Oak. "Eh? What?" And so the game of chase began, a furious Nidoran chasing the confused professor. Spotting his baseball bat in the corner, Oak made a lunge, grabbing the bat, and spinning to face the little pokémon.

"DO!" She screeched, and he backed up.

"I'm warning you, take one step closer and-" The loud thunder of many hooves cut him off. "What now?" And he saw exactly "what". Ash's thirty Tauros, irritated at Oak's yelling and Nidoran's screeches were stampeding towards them. "Oh dear." The professor squeaked, dropping the bat. It was that moment that Ash decided to drop a line.

"Hello Professor!" He grinned as his face appeared on the screen. Taking in the chaos, he added, "Oh. I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?"

* * *

***Author's Note* You know, I think that I will do an Oak paragraph for every chapter. They're so much fun to write! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, because it was really (and I mean _really_ fun to write).**

**CONGRATULATIONS to xEmilia (I hope I spelled your name right!) for being the first to answer "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!" WOO! Confetti! I hereby give you this cookie. Enjoy! XD**

**Um... Let's see... OH! Please, please, PLEASE check out the "Synergetic Sins" Series. Like I've said, it's a four way collab (which I think is a first in the history of pokémon fanfiction writing) and I think it's gonna be pretty epic. It also accepts OCs! Yes, you heard me right! OCs! Send 'em on in!**

**And guess what? "Belief at Dawn" also accepts OCs! Do you want your OCs in such an amazing story? I know I would. Drama, comedy, and bombs flying everywhere (well not really, but there ARE bombs :3) What else do you want? Aside from biting Bulbasaurs. Yup, everything you want in life is in that fic! **

**I also have a poll on my profile page now, it's "What are your thoughts when a main character dies/ kicks the bucket/ snuffs it". Please keep in mind that this is a PURELY hypothetical question. I have no intention (as of this date, 2009) of killing Sophie, Seth, Candi, Titty, or ANY of those people. I'm just curious, that's all. **

**I'm also still offering the "you review mine, I'll review yours" deal. I've discovered a lot of really amazing fics because of this, and I'm glad I've started to offer this bargain. :) But I'm only going to look at pokémon fanfics, so just keep that in mind. **

**OCs are still accepted, all Mary Sues will be ignored (google that term if you are unsure what it is) and I will do my best to get those OCs into this story! **


	19. Chapter 18: Revenge of The Cupcake

**_Chapter Eighteen: Revenge of The Cupcake

* * *

_**

The crowd was silent as they took in my choice of pokémon. Even Misty was quiet.

"Uh... Okay then..." She mumbled. "I don't care what you say, you get first move." Then even lower, "Not that it matters." I glared, and knelt on the float to say to Cupcake,

"Okay, if you can take out this Staryu, you get unlimited slushies." He stared back at me.

"Karp Cu!"

"Bo..." (He doesn't want anymore slushies.)

"Then what _do_ you want?" I hissed, eyes flicking up every once in a while to see what Misty was doing.

"Maaaaa..."

"Cubone." (To sleep.) My eyes narrowed.

"Listen, you can't sleep right now!" But my words were lost on him. He had shut his eyes, drifting along with the current. I groaned, and watched as he floated away. Misty looked up and caught my eye.

"Ya sure you want to use that pokémon?" She asked, uncertain. I shrugged.

"He'll wake up eventually." She didn't look convinced.

"I don't know about that..."

"GO CUPCAKIES!" Candi screamed from the stands. "WE WUV YOU!" Cupcake opened one eye lazily, waved a flipper, and went back to sleep. There was a long pause.

"You know, how about you go first." I suggested.

"Good idea. Use Swift, Staryu!"

"Star!" It cried, the golden stars flying from its gem.

"Go underwater!" I yelled at Cupcake, who ignored me. "Mew damn it! Underwater, now!" I knew that Swift couldn't be avoided, but I figured that the water would take the edge off the move. The stars hit Cupcake, who barely even flinched, just slept on. I wasn't sure if this was good or bad. On the one hand, he wasn't dead, and on the other, he wouldn't respond to me anyway, in which case he might as well be dead.

"Harden Staryu, and follow up with a Rapid Spin!" The opponent's fish glinted as its body hardened, causing every edge and point to become that much sharper.

"Come on, Cupcake! You feel like going to the pokémon center?" I hated how I sounded like I was pleading with a Magikarp. He just gave me a look. "It's gonna tear you to pieces if you don't go underwater." I added, playing the do-it-or-you-will-die-a-horrible-death card.

"Karp..." He sighed, and slowly made his way underwater. By now, the spinning Staryu of death was spinning like a top, zooming to where Cupcake was diving.

"Follow him down!" Misty yelled, and the Staryu plunged after him. Its movement slowed down considerably, just as I had hoped. Around the pool, large screens lit up with what was happening under the water. From what I could see, Cupcake and Staryu were having a stare down, Cupcake's mouth opening and closing like the fish he was.

"Sit on it!" I yelled into the water. Cupcake's feeler twitched, though I wasn't sure if it was because he heard me, or he had a twitchy antennae.

"Water Pulse!" Misty shouted, and from the screen I could see the attack take shape. I doubted that much would happen seeing as it was beneath the waves, but that didn't stop me from staring anxiously at the image the cameras were projecting. I could see the water ripple with the sonar waves, hitting Cupcake in the maw. Bubbles flew from his mouth as he slowly began swimming in circles. Great. Now he was confused.

Spotting the Staryu again, Cupcake began swimming haphazardly toward it. Seeing him starting an attack, the Staryu initiated its Minimize. Realizing there was nothing I could do I sat down on the float (reminding myself of Seth) and wished Candi had kept some popcorn for me. I couldn't help but wonder why fish always have their mouths hanging open like that. The Staryu sent another Water Pulse at Cupcake, sending him swimming in circles once again.

He gave himself a little shake, and swam more determinedly toward the mini-yu. A Bubblebeam made the water foam, obscuring the battle from sight. For half a minute, everyone's attention was fixed on the screen. Then the bubbles cleared.

"WOAH! Staryu went POOF!" Candi screamed excitedly. "And Cuppy cake is glowing pretty pink!" And for once I took note of what she had said. The mini-Staryu had vanished, and Cupcake was now glowing a pale pink. Here's the clincher: Cupcake's mouth was shut tight.

"Damn. That's... Not... Right." I managed, as Cupcake fought to keep the Staryu in his mouth. Slowly, he made his way up to the surface. Misty was looking grim.

"This can only mean one thing." She looked at me with a pained expression. "I'm sorry, Staryu." At that moment, Cupcake swallowed, opening his mouth to reveal a dimming pink light moving down his throat. "NO! YOU IMBECILE!" Misty screamed. "You..." She was shaking with rage. "That's it! Thunderbolt! Now!" I put two and two together. Thunderbolt equals electric. Pool equals water. Float has water on it. Thunderbolt fries water. Sophie move off float. Sophie live another day.

With a gulp, I jumped off the float onto the concrete rim. A flash lit the Gym, stupid crowded ooh-ing at the sight of fried fish. Cupcake let out a loud belch and fell unconscious, an equally KOed Staryu rolling out of its mouth. The people in the stands went wild, and for a moment I could hear Seth above the ruckus,

"Doesn't _anyone_ else find that vaguely disturbing?" Misty hadn't quite gotten away in time, her hair puffed around her head like a Luxray's mane. Woozily, she held up a pokéball.

"Return... Staryu. Go! St-Starmie!" She stumbled, almost drunk as she sent out the purple star. I snickered a little.

"Nice job, Cupcake. You never fail to freak me out." I recalled him, and set Sepo down on the float. "Well, show him what ya got."

"Bulba!" (Prepare for epicness!)

"Go." Misty said impatiently. I rolled my eyes at her, which set her off again. "I'M THE FRIGGING GYM LEADER! SO LISTEN TO ME, WILL YA?"

"Take a chill pill." I muttered. "Anyway... Razor Leaf, Sepo!"

"DOO!" (EPIIIIC!) She cried as leaves shot like bullets toward the Starmie.

"Block it with a Water Gun!" The jet of water blasted the leaves away.

"Po." (Humph. Cheater.) She growled.

"Sleep Powder!" I said, clenching and unclenching twitchy fingers. "But see if you can get any closer to it."

"Doom!" (Aye, aye, captain!) And she plunged into the water. "Bulba!" (I'm a marine! In a submarine!) She cackled to herself, and she submerged. I stared after her. What the... How could my pokémon end up so... Messed up?

The Starmie gave Misty an inquiring look, and she nodded, allowing the Starmie to dive in after the crazy plant. The cameras focused on the scene below. Sepo was doing a sort of retarded doggie paddle, while spouting a green cloud from her bulb. Even above water, I could see the green spreading. Vines shot out of the water and latched around me.

"Oh. Crap." I grunted as I tried to push myself away from the edge of the float, as the vines were slowly tugging me in. "Ugh... SEPO!"

"Po po pa DOOM!" (Dun dun da DUM!) She pulled herself out of the water, throwing in a couple of backflips. Moments later, the Starmie floated to the surface, fast asleep. I couldn't help but grin.

"Let's finish this! Razor Leaf!" She climbed onto my head and leaped into the air, firing the leaves at high speed. The crowd went crazy, and a child screamed,

"It's better than the circus, Mommy!" The poor Starmie woke up to a barrage of leaves, injuring it severely.

"Miii!" It screeched. Misty looked... relieved. Well, that couldn't be good.

"Recover, Starmie!" She said, happily. My mindset went from happy "Yay-I'm-gonna-pwn-the-Gym-Leader" to "ARCEUS-DAMN-RECOVING-MOVES!" Misty was enjoying my frustration immensely.

"Leech Seed!"

"Psychic!"

"I hate you!"

"Deal with it, punk!" Sepo had covered the Starmie with the seeds, only to get blasted back by a powerful force.

"BA!" She screeched, as the super-effective move it. She staggered back upright, and faced it again. Green energy was seeping back into Sepo from the Leech Seed.

"Doom! I hate you!" Jeez squawked from the crowd.

"Erg..." Sepo grunted, looking slightly better off than before. "Doom... SA!" She released a flurry of leaves at the Starmie.

"Underwater, now!" Misty ordered, then faltered, "Wait-" But the Starmie had already dived into the still-green water. I flashed a satisfied smile in her direction, causing her to yell,

"STOP BEING SUCH A SMUG IDIOT!" I couldn't help but smirk.

"Fine. Razor Leaf!" Leaves were fired at the floating pokémon, slicing and dicing. The light from the gem flicked, and died away. "Hey! Misty! I just beat you!" She glared.

"YOU JUST GOT FREAKING LUCKY! NOW TAKE THE DAMN BADGE AND LEAVE!" She threw the badge at me and stomped off of the float and through the opposite door.

"Nice to meet you, too!" I called after her, catching the badge.

"Damn you! Freaking damn you!" Jeez cawed over the clapping. Sepo latched back onto my leg and we exited the arena.

As soon as I exited the doors, Candi jumped me.

"Yay! You wons! Let's go get a slushieeeeeee!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the Gym, remembering how to work the doors.

"Do you even know where a place that sells slushies is?" I gasped, as her grip tightened unconsciously.

"Nope! That's why you're here, Soph-a-loaf!" She giggled. "Because you know _everything_!"

"That's... nice."

"Hey! Look! A slushie place!"

"You're kidding me." I couldn't deny the relief that was flooding through me.

"Yup. I am." She giggled again, and I ground my teeth. "Look! There's one for real this time!"

"Where?"

"Just kidding!"

"Mew!" Meowth joined in her giggles. This was going to be fun. After about an hour of walking around aimlessly, we finally found a smoothie bar.

"About time!" I growled, pushing open the door, a little bell mocking me.

"YAY!" Candi charged in after me and sat in a stool. "Hiyas. Can I get one of your Cocoa-Deluxe with extra cocoa and extra ice, a Rawst-Berry freeze, and a Mix-Berry blended?" The woman at the counter nodded, and punched some numbers into the register.

"Will that be all?"

"Yesh." Candi nodded, and pulled out a wad of cash. "Here ya go!" I looked at the roll of bills.

"Candi, for some reason I don't think it costs two thousand pokédollars for three slushies. Just saying." Candi looked at the bills.

"Oopsies! Did I not give you enough? Here-"

"You're total is four hundred pokédollars." The woman cut in.

"Oh. Soph-a-loaf? Can you help me?" I gave her a look, and she grinned. "Just kidding! JK, LOL, tee hee!"

"Anything for you?" The woman asked, as she accepted the proper amount from Candi.

"Yeah. Two Cheri-Berry slushies-" Sepo and Rui made little noises in the backs of their throats. "-fine, _four_ Cheri-Berry slushies, and do you have anything caffeinated?"

"We've got the Super-Duper-Pick-me-upper, the Sleep-be-Gone, and a Mocha blend."

"I'll take a Mocha blend." I said, a little disturbed by the names of the other drinks.

"You're total is six hundred pokédollars." I handed her the bills. "Please wait while I get the drinks ready." She turned, and bustled off to fill our orders.

"You guys are expensive." I grumbled, sending Cupcake out of his pokéball. "Hope you're happy with yourself."

"Weee! Sophieeeee!" Candi squealed, spinning around on the stool. The boy sitting next to her gave her an odd look, as if he had just placed her in the "nut case" pile. I looked at him more closely. He had an almost fairy-like build, small, slender, and almost delicate in a way. Everything piece of clothing on him was some shade of gray, from the dark gray jacket to the silver pokétch on his right arm. Candi stopped spinning and faced the boy. "Hey! Your hair is purrrrrplllle!"

"Really? I hadn't noticed." I muttered, as he said, somewhat aloof,

"Yes, I have dyed it purple recently."

"I wuv it! But next time dye it pink, okays?" She giggled.

"Naturally," He said easily. "A very... suitable color." I tried hard not to snicker. Okay, the guy was charming, I guess, I doubted that anyone else could have been like that after watching her spinning display.

"I know, right? Hey, what are you eating? That isn't a slushie!" Her voice took on a vaguely accusing tone.

"It's called a fruit parfait. It's slightly more healthy than ice cream."

"Oh." She frowned. "Aren't you too young to be bothered by that? Oh my Arceus! Do you have a name?"

"Why yes. The name is Ari. Ari Harper."

"Huh?" She stared blankly. "OH! Look! It's our slushies!" The woman was coming by with a tray, plopping down the drinks.

"Alright, guys. Drink up." I passed the slushies around, giving two to Cupcake, as promised. Yeah, I keep my promises, believe it or not. I'm not all sarcasm and evilness. I sipped my Mocha-thing.

"YUM!" Candi grinned, and spun around in her seat, sloshing her drink everywhere. "NO!" She dove after the spilled drink, slid on the floor, and collided with the rest of the stools, knocking over Ari.

"Oh Mew. You've _got_ to be kidding me!" I said, and Ari gave a tired look at the ceiling from the floor.

"The floor is SLIPPERY! WHEEE!" She screamed happily and knocked over another girl's chair. She yelped as she slammed into the floor, her little Clefairy bobbing anxiously on the counter.

"Cle-Cle fa!" It chimed. I almost choked on my mocha-thing. That sound was all too familiar. The woman behind the counter started yelling, stomping out from the "kitchen". Thundering toward my wondrous friend, she somehow kicked over Cupcake's slushies.

"You! Out this-"

"KAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cupcake was turning red at the gills. "RAAAAAARRR!"

"Did you just roar?" I asked.

"MAGI! ROAAAAAAAAAAAR!" He propped himself up onto his fins.

"You're kinda scaring me now." I muttered. Enraged at having his slushie spilled, he attacked the counter with a vengeance.

"Roar!" He growled, as the counter began to collapse. The few people in the building were exiting quickly.

"Contain your pokémon!" The angry woman yelled, and I pulled out the Crap-ball.

"Oops. Doesn't look like he wants to go in." I told her, faking unhappiness as Cupcake refused to go into the ball. He continued to destroy everything in his path. By this time, half of the bar was in ruins.

"Name: Cupcake. Species: Magikarp of DOOM! Moves learned: Hydro Pump." There was a long pause. "Hah. I'm just kidding you-" _WHACK!_ "-because I was programmed with a dynamite sense of humor!"

"Is that the only reason why you're bothering me?" I said stiffly.

"No, in fact, Cupcake didn't learn any moves! I love bringing my owner good news." The woman was gaping at me.

"Uh..." We watched Cupcake demolishing the building.

"Is that the roof I hear cracking?" I asked, and we listened.

"Yeah. Wait, WHAT?" She screeched. I quickly grabbed Candi and pulled her out the door.

"Byes!" Candi waved energetically, the woman grabbing the cash register and following us out of the door. She was glaring daggers at us.

"You have to pay for-"

"Later!" I yelled, and sprinted away.

"-I have security cameras!"

"CRAP!" I shouted back, and ran as fast as I could back toward the hotel.

"Soph-a-loaf is fast!" Candi squealed happily, not understanding the circumstances. The hotel was just a couple blocks away, and I couldn't hear any sirens yet. That was a good sign (no, really?). We raced around some random buildings, dodging whatever grannies that got in our path.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap." I chanted while trying to breath evenly.

"Yays! Chants! I'll chant, too! Shiny sugar, shiny sugar, shiny-"

"SHUT UP!" I both shouted and gasped at the same time.

"Look! There goes the hotel!" She screamed, and my head whipped around.

"What?"

"Just kidding!"

"ARGH!" It was then that we really did almost pass the hotel. "Turn!"

"NYERRRRRRRO!" She did some airplane noises and we nearly crashed through the sliding doors. Seth and Titty, sitting in the lobby, looked up.

"What the- You know, I'm just not going to say anything." Seth trailed off.

"Thank you very much. And congrats. Assuming you got the badge." I told him. "I think I need to get to my room so..."

"S-See y-y-you later..."

"NYEEEERRRRO!" Screeched Jeez. I raised my eyebrows, and left the lobby, pounding up the stairs to my room. I shoved the key into the reader and shoved the door open. Cupcake was flopped in the middle of the room.

"What the hell?" I almost had a heart attack. "Did you teleport here or something?" Sounding pleased with himself, he uttered a short,

"Karp." I set my jaw.

"Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say."

* * *

After the chaos of earlier that day, Oak was pleased enough to climb into bed and turn out the lights. Sighing deeply as he snuggled his little Cleffa doll, he shut his eyes, ready for dreams of rainbows and ponytas. Then again, the new episode of "My Little Ponyta" was coming out the next day, so sleep might not be an option.

He turned restlessly. Yes, sleep was most likely not an option. In the last episode, Pinkie Pie had just discovered the map to Sugar Puff's secret store of cocoa cereal. But was she going to betray Sugar Puff's trust and explore the cave? The idea... The drama... It was almost too much. Oak turned again.

Finally, he just couldn't take it. He reached over to turn on the light and find the TV remote. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he squinted into the light. A black blur clouded his vision. Blinking hard, the blur came into focus. His mouth fell open, and a shrill scream issued from his lips.

There, cackling evilly, was a Misdrevious, wearing a mask. Or rather _the_ mask. And why would it have that title? Because it was the face of Sophie Ng, ninja assassin.

* * *

***Author's Note* Muahaha! Aren't I evil? Poor, poor Oak... Anyway, I have a few more announcements! **

**First: Updates will slow until I get out for holiday break. Stupid school is a pain. So, instead of somewhat weekly, it will be more like bi-weekly. Sorry for the inconvenience. **

**Second: I have a few fics to promote. Please note that they are not in order of importance, or anything like that:**

"**Belief at Dawn" by J. Whitnee**

**The Synergetic Sins series by four SPESHUL authors :)**

"**Turning Over a New Leaf" by lil' white Raven (I got J. Whitnee hooked on this one)**

**ALL of those epic OC fics by Lolli-S**

**And I'm pretty sure there's some others that I'm forgetting. I blame it on the cramming. **

**Okay, and the OC's in this chapter belong to... xEmilia and Serpent's Ballet! Lorell (the girl with the Clefairy, who WILL come back later. I guarantee.) and Ari, the boy with purple tipped hair! Thank you all! **

**While I'm on the topic of OC's... I'm taking them! I plan to have a tournament/ competition coming up in a few chapters, so I need all the _GOOD_, _NON-SUE_ OC's that you have. What is a Mary Sue? It is a character that is either absolutely perfect, has a SUPER unusual past, is incredibly badass, etc. etc. Check Wikipedia for more info (they have a nice and thorough article on Sues.) All Sue's will be ignored, and even if I don't get enough OC's, I can always make up my own if I get a crapload of Sues. Keep that in mind. **

**Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated. I need to draw the line between those who actually are interested in this fic, and those that just want to see their OC. **

**And make sure to vote in my new poll "What are your thoughts when a main character dies/ kicks the bucket/ snuffs it?" PURELY HYPOTHETICAL! **

**In her latest chapter, J. Whitnee also put me ranting about Sues, eeveelutions (okay, sometimes they're cool and all that fun stuff), and just violence in general. If you like random rants, I think you'll appreciate this. **

**That's all for now... **


	20. Chapter 19: The Ol' Switcheroo

**_Chapter Nineteen: The Ol' Switcheroo_**

* * *

Taking a steadying breath, I returned Cupcake to his ball.

"Bone..." (That was disturbing...)

"Sa, DOOM!" (I wish I could teleport! Then I go and CHOMP everything!)

"How about some T.V?" I interrupted, clicking on the TV. I stared at the screen, watching the little animated Ponytas gallop retardedly across the "meadows". "Then again, maybe not."

"Cu?" (Are those tattoos on their asses?)

"Wow, is this _really_ a kid's show?" I asked, and Sepo nodded, completely engrossed in the non-existant plot.

"BU!" (OMA! Pinkie Pie just discovered the map to Sugar Puff's secret store of cocoa cereal!)

"Whoop-dee-freaking-doo..." I muttered, and watched as the credits abruptly began to roll, with a "To Be Continued" message.

"BAAAAA!" (NOOOOOOOOO!) Rui and I stared at her. She gave us a fanged grin. "Doom pla sa bulba?" (What, I can't appreciate a little fine drama once in a while?)

"NO!"

"BO!" (NO!) We shouted, and I quickly changed the channel.

"Hey look. A game show." On screen, the host was smiling widely in the generic grin that the profession required. Obviously Asian, when he opened his mouth, a stream of some Asian-language came pouring out. At least there was subtitles.

(And now our contestants will be testing their strength! They will be tossing Golems up a fifty foot slope! Careful not to get squashed now!) I grinned insanely.

"Oh my Arceus! It's one of those crazy Japanese game shows that have all those crazy things!" I exclaimed happily. The picture on the TV switched over to the fifty foot slope, where overly-muscles participants were flexing, giving each other the evil eye.

(Contestant number one! Bob!) I snickered. _Bob? Really?_ (Will you be crowned champion of CJGS?) "Bob" walked over to the Golem that was waiting patiently. He reached underneath the pokémon and gave a mighty heave. There was a nasty popping sound as Bob's back strained with the effort.

Watching him fail for five more minutes, all of us laughing hysterically, Sepo snorting a little, I realized that I was exhausted from the insanity of earlier. I fell back against the pillow, and was out in seconds.

* * *

Personally, I think that my mocha-whatever had something in it. You know, just that _little_ bit of dope to make my dreams messed up. What could possibly make them that messed up? See for yourself.

_Seth, Candi, Titty, and I were all at the beach, our pokémon alongside. We spread towels and flopped down on top, soaking in the sun's rays. After a moment, Seth sat up quickly. _

_"OH. MY. ARCEUS!" He yelled, jumping up. _

_"What?" I asked, head going up quickly to see what was going on. _

_"IT'S A BIRD!" He squealed happily. _

_"Ugh... Sit back down. You're getting in the way of the sun." Titty grumbled from Seth's right. "You just gotta chill sometimes." _

_"But it's a BIRDY! A pretty birdy!" Seth complained. _

_"Just relax, okay? You need to chill!" Titty objected. _

_"P-Please stop f-fighting!" Candi stuttered, curled up in a ball on her towel. The beach was slowly being devoured by the ocean, until we were on an island. Seth was now running in circles, arms flailing._

_"Look! Another bird! NYERRRRO!" Titty was rolling his eyes at the world, Candi curled in the fetal position, and I was... SEPO? Suddenly, I was on all fours, screeching,_

_"DOOM!" at the top of my lungs. Running my tongue over my teeth, I could feel sharp fangs in place of my canines. Candi whimpered, Seth giggled, and Titty was fast asleep. "POO!" I screeched, and waddled forward. Seth laughed happily. _

_"You're so CUTE!" He screamed, and started to cuddle me. _

_"BA!" I chomped down on his arm_

_"Ouchies! That hurt!" He exclaimed and tried to drop me, but for some reason I held on. "I'm SUPAH-MAN!" He spun wildly and flung me off. I spiraled in the air, and I passed Em, who was floating in the clouds. _

_"Cookie?" She asked innocently. I looked at them. They were in the shape of tombstones, with little pink hearts decorating them. _

_"I'll pass..." I said, and woke with a start._

_

* * *

_

Sepo and Rui were cheering as a Golem nearly smushed a guy. Forgetting the dream in an instant, I whooped and cheered, too. Gotta love those insane game shows.

* * *

The next day, we were packed and ready to head over to Vermillion. Happy to leave the chaos behind, we headed south. I'm not really sure how long we travelled. We kept getting turned around. This is why I hate Titty for letting Candi read the map. Damn, I don't even know if she _can_ read maps. About three times we ended up back by the same stump. Candi, however, insisted otherwise.

"NO! That tree stump's name is SALLY! The one we saw before was named SUSY! And the one before that was named PHIL!"

"And you know this... how?"

"I asked them REALLY nicely! They're so awesome once you get to know them, Soph-a-loaf!" She squealed, hugging me. "But they don't like gum. They're SUPER careful of the evil gum snatchers."

"That's fantastic." I drawled, and tried to take the map.

"NO! Titty said it was MY turn!" I glared at Titty, who shrank back.

"It's n-n-not my f-fault. She g-gave me the e-eyes." I scoffed.

"What eyes?"

"Y-You know, the e-e-eyes..." Seth and I exchanged looks.

"Just keep walking, just keep walking, just keep walking, walking, walking." He sang in a low voice. I let out a sharp breath, and we continued along. And how long did this last? About a week or two. Seriously. I wish I was kidding. A week or so of camping with the crew... Nothing could be better than that. To sum everything up, we got lost, set up camp, went to sleep, woke up, and got lost again. I swear, there's one road, right? And somehow, it eluded us. And so I rant.

The first sign of civilization came in the form of a poster floating on the wind.

"SANITY!" Seth yelled, and snatched at the poster. "At last!"

"SEEEEEETH! What does that mean?" Candi yelled, flinging herself over to him. "Does it have anything to do with the... APOCALYPSE?" She turned to Titty. "Can I have a SUPER, DUPER, chocolate sundae? You _are_ the apocalypse after all."

"The a-a-apocalypse isn-"

"SUPER! DUPER! APOCALYPSE!" Jeez shrieked.

"SHUT UP!" Seth and I yelled.

"SHUT UP!" He squawked back. I glared at the idiotic bird, wishing that looks could kill. Seth looked back down at the poster. I could see his eyes widen slightly as he read it.

"Hey..." I looked over his shoulder, taking in the words with interest.

_**Poké Tech Academy proudly presents the 39th annual Seizonsha Trials! On the 27th of September, 2009, Poké Tech Academy will be hosting Trial Virtual, where upcoming trainers and coordinators alike will test their skills in the digital realm, with computerized pokémon. Battles of epic proportion will take place on the all new Battle-Sim. **_

_**Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers! The grand prize is a choice between a Scyther and a Metal Coat, or an Eevee with one's choice of stones! **_

_**Come and compete today! All competitors must be over the age of ten and non-epileptic. **_

Below was a paragraph of impossible-to-read fine print, the background filled by a circle on red, a Ninetails in the foreground. Seth and I exchanged looks.

"So... Where is Poké Tech Academy?" I asked, already knowing that I wanted to go no matter what, even if it was starting the next day. Seth shrugged.

"How am I supposed to know important stuff like that?" I smirked.

"That's right. I forgot just how intelligent you are."

"How is it that you turn everything into an insult?"

"It's just one of the perks of being me." He snorted at my retort.

"BERRIES! SUGAR!" Candi yelled happily, dancing around Titty. "Please? Pluh-EZE?" He was trying to disappear in his jacket.

"I d-don't have anymore b-berries... M-Mozart ate them a-all." I rolled my eyes. A few days ago, he had introduced us to the berry-loving, crappy-singing Shuckle that he owned. Thank Mew that he usually keeps her in her pokéball.

"But you didn't save any for me?" Candi pouted. "NO WORRIES! Save some for me n- OH MY ARCEUS! Is that a TREE?"

"Naw. Just a great, big, leafy thing." I said, still thinking about the poster.

"OH! That's what I thought!" She giggled. "Candi is SUPER smarticles!"

"Right..." Seth muttered and we continued walking. "Hey, Sophie, don't you have a laptop? Can't you look that kind of stuff up?" I blinked.

"Oh yeah. You know, you aren't completely incompetent after all."

"That's good to know..." He mumbled, and I glared. Why does everyone use sarcasm? Sitting on a tree stump, I pulled out the E-Poké and turned it on, trying to ignore the shouts of a panicking Titty. Opening up the search engine, I typed in the name of the academy.

"Uh..." I started, looking at the location. "Looks like... Another day or so? Just along the _road_ here." I shut down the computer and stood. "HEY! Titty-boy and Candi!" They looked over at my shout. "COME ON!" They hurried over obediently, and Seth and I smiled.

"Gooooood puppies!" Seth crooned, and I gave a little laugh.

"Anyway! Let's move!" I said, abruptly serious. "I want to compete!" And of course, Candi and Titty didn't understand what I was talking about. I'm past being irritated or depressed about that at this point. At least we know that civilization is just ahead. Kind of. Sort of. I need to shut up sometimes.

* * *

Another night of camping done, we arrived at the gates of Poké Tech Academy, just in time to be smushed by the crowd of other trainers. Loud and not all that careful of where their pokémon roamed, everyone seemed as though they were on a sugar/ caffeine high. Then again, a chance for a Scyther or an Eevee wasn't really something to pass up.

On the campus beyond the gates, I could see a few of the boarding students rushing around with paper and pencil's flying everywhere, trying to reach the next class. A few spotted us and waved, a few giggling at the mass of people outside of their school. The massive clock on the tower chimed eleven, massive booms penetrating everyone's heads. Some flinched, but their faces returned to their previous euphoria as the gates rolled to the side.

A man, dressed in a semi-formal shirt and pants strode out to the gate, accompanied by a Ninetails and two Rhyhorn, who pressed the group back. Clearing his throat importantly, he waited for the chatter to die down. When it finally did, he gave a self-important smile and opened his arms wide.

"Welcome, trainers and coordinators of Kanto. The-"

"BUT CANDI IS A BREEEEEEEEEEEDER!" She interrupted him, jumping up and down. "Because I likes to breed vibravas with dratinis!" My palm met my forehead as Seth, Titty, and I tried to look like we weren't with her. A lot of people laughed, but then quieted as the man raised his hand for silence.

"Yes. Breeders too. Now, the Poké Tech Academy is proud to host the annual Seizonsha-"

"BLESS YOU!" Candi yelled again, mistaking Seizonsha for a sneeze. _Kill me, Arceus. Better yet, kill Candi._ I thought, self-preservation still a large part of my mind.

"Er... Thank you." He said over the new wave of laughter, confused. "Well," He waited until the last sounds of giggles had subsided. "I want to tell you about the Sei-" He stopped himself from saying the name again. "-Trials. All nine regions have their own competitions, mostly based on the special traits of the region. From Empoleon-sledding in Sinnoh to Extreme-mining in Johto, every trial has its own risk factors and glorious prizes." There was some muttering at the mention of risks, which hadn't been included in the brightly colored posters.

The man went on, ignoring the low hum of noise. "Kanto hosts the Trial Virtual, which utilizes-"

"PICK ME!" Candi was waving her hand in the air, and the man tried to ignore her. "What does uterus mean?" She continued. "TELL MEEEEEEEEE!" This time, only the more _mature_ people understood that one. And they laughed. Hard. "OH!" Her face shone with realization. "It's like an UDDER! You know, the PINK, squishy-" I clamped my hand over her mouth.

"ARHEM!" The man cleared his throat loudly. "As I was saying, we will be using the new Battle-Sims, which are used by senior students at this academy to strengthen their skills. For the trials, a few _modifications_-" Candi wrenched free of my grasp and bolted forward.

"Miltanks go MOOOOOOOOO, too! And guess what? They have UDDERS!" Mr. Important was turning red with anger, he turned to the Rhydon.

"Take her away! TO THE DUNGEON!" No one moved. Absolute silence filled the campus grounds. He coughed. "Well, the Battle-Sims have been changed to fit the needs of the competition. The competition itself will take place over a number of days. You will all sleep in the various dorms with the other students. Arrangements have been made. Now," He smiled in an almost evil fashion. "Are you ready?" A low murmur of "Yeah", and he was ushering us through the gates.

They rumbled behind us as they slid shut once again. Nah, I'm not gonna give you any of that "ominous" crap. Just an observation. I mean, what could possibly be wrong with a competition? Anything more messed up than my life right now? No? I thought not.

The Ninetails was leading us to a sprawling glass roofed building off to the left of the dorm buildings. Smooth as ever, the doors hissed open, revealing the room beyond.

"Damn..." Seth muttered as everyone took in the sight.

"WHEEEE!" Candi screamed, riding crazily on the back of one of the Rhydon. Spotting the room, she yelled something only she could come up with. "LOOK! A FANCY ROOM!"

* * *

Crunching the popcorn between his teeth, black rings around his eyes, Oak stared fixedly at the screen. There she was. Pinkie Pie. Galloping through the fields, map in mouth, toward Sugar Puff's cave. The scenery was so beautiful, Pinkie Pie so determined, Sugar Puff... She hadn't arrived, yet. As the television showed the mouth of the cave, Oak let out a gasp. The drama... He wasn't sure he could take it.

Sitting beside Oak was the Misdreavious, sneaking glances at him, chuckling eerily to herself, yet still transfixed to the screen. The tension in the room as the episode of "My Little Ponyta" wore on was almost choking every being in the entertainment room. Oak couldn't take it, the moment of betrayal, the raw emotion was just too much. He leapt up, flinging the popcorn from his lap.

"NOOOOOO!" He yelled, shaking. The door of the lab whooshed open, and Oak spun on his heels to find a dark silhouette in the doorway. "AH! Please! Sophie! I beg of you, don't hurt ME! Hurt..." He glanced around and grabbed the nearest thing to him: Sophie's Nidoran. "THIS!" The figure stepped closer. "NO! Pl- Wait. _Ash_?" And it was. The wannabe poké-master stepped into the light cast from the TV.

"Heyas! Whatcha watching?" He asked, looking at the Ponytas with interest. "OH MY ARCEUS! Is that... the new episode of 'My Little Ponyta'?" Oak nodded, sitting back down with a relieved sigh. "AWESOME!"

"Chu!" (Lame ass!) Pikachu spoke up.

"Pikachu agrees, too! What's happened?" Oak smiled, and began to recite the episode. Ash's eyes widened as Pikachu's drooped.

"Wow, Professor, you have an amazing memory!" The professor puffed up his chest, saying,

"It comes with the profession, my lad." Misdreavious drifted over to Pikachu and whispered,

"Missssssa..." (It also helps if you've watched it four times.) Pikachu nodded, and sighed,

"Pika." (True dat.)

* * *

***Author's Note* So, I guess I was ended updating earlier than I had anticipated! Then again, it turns out that I'm going to Yosemite on Friday. Don't you hate it when no one tells you what's going on? I'm going to be staying there for about five days, then I'll be back. Too bad Christmas is just about three days later. My point? I most likely lied about more frequent updates over Winter Break. I apologize for getting your hopes up.**

**Well, in any case, J. Whitnee and I are creating a series of holiday specials, hopefully one for every well-known holiday and a few of our own. Of course, with my schedule, we might be a few days off as far as updating on the holiday. It's going to feature OCs from our various fictions (most likely excluding the characters from the Synergetic Sins series) and some of our author buddies. It should be pretty fun, random, insane... The list goes on and on.**

**So, about "Belief at Dawn". Most of you are probably going to skip the next few sentences, because you all know what I'm going to say. Well, screw that. If you love comedy, drama, mystery... hell, there's even _romance_. I mean the only things this fic doesn't have are Sues and a cliche plot line. And what does that mean? It means it's pretty damn amazing. Just putting that out there.**

**And now for the part where I recommend other fictions to you.**

**"Chronicles of Fate: 17 Knights" by ****_J. Whitnee_**

**The Synergetic Sins series**

**"Turning over a New Leaf" by lil white Raven**

**Lolli-S's OC fics (yeah, all of them are pretty damn good)**

**Alright! For more awesome fics, check out my profile. And while you're at it, if you haven't already, please vote in my poll "What are your thoughts when a main character dies/ kicks the bucket/ snuffs it?" **

**Hm... Oh yes. Listen, I really need more OCs for the trials. Even if you have already submitted one, please feel free to submit another. Otherwise I'll just make up my own. And that really isn't fun, is it? However, if you submit Sues, they _will be ignored_, and I'll just make up my own anyway. **

**Okay, reviews are always appreciated (do I even need to say this anymore?) Let's see... I hoped you liked the chappie! What a lame way to end. **


	21. Chapter 20: Technical Difficulties

**_Chapter Twenty: Technical Difficulties_**

* * *

Rows upon rows of glimmering, new "Battle-Sims" lined the interior. The roof was just one, massive sky-light, gold autumn sunlight pouring through. Commercial carpeting covered the floors and a few programmers were running last minute checks. As soon as we entered they scampered out through some side doors. In the background was the soft whir of an air-conditioning system.

The Sims themselves were pairs of a sort of tinted glass boxes, their innards hidden from the rest of the world. Mr. Important, as I was calling him seeing he didn't bother to give us mere mortals his name, beamed proudly at the devices as though he had created them himself. Stroking the Ninetails, he said,

"Now, I have told you that the trials will take place in stages-"

"But there aren't any stages!" Candi pointed out.

"Will takes place in _parts_." He was patting himself down for some sort of hand-held radio, no doubt to call in security. "The first _part_-" He was saying the word as though it was vulgar and didn't belong in his mouth. "-starts at noon. Everyone of these challenges are going to be completed with an assigned partner. Your partner will remain the same throughout the days of the competition." He looked around at the anxious faces. "You will each need to enter your Trainer ID into this computer. Upon doing so, please go outside and wait in the quad-"

"How do you wait in a muscle?" Guess who said that? That's right! Seth did! Don't make me puke. A tic was going in the man's temple as he patted himself down again.

"You will wait outside until you are called back in." He finished stiffly. "Further instructions will come at that time."

"What time? Where? WHERE'S THE SHINY CLOCK?" Candi was going into a near frenzy. "NO SHINYYYY!" Running in circles, she tripped and fell over someone's Paras, sending a puff of yellow pollen into the air. Laughing easily now that the strict formality Mr. Important had tried to impress upon us shattered utterly, people lined up to enter their ID numbers.

Both Seth and I were looking at Candi with exasperation clear in our features. She was still distressed about the lack of a "SHINY clock".

"He lied, Soph-a-loaf! He lied!" She clung to me worse than... Something sticky. The line shuffled forward slowly. "Hey! I know!" Candi said suddenly. "Let's play a hand game!" She tugged my reluctant hands out of my pockets, and clapped them together. "Now first you have to clap." She clapped her hands to show me. I followed her lead. She giggled. "Yay! You aren't hopeless at being a girl after all!" I raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" I asked, not sure whether to take her seriously. She grinned.

"No worries, Soph! I know you're a girl! You do sing when you're taking a bath and stuff!" Seth snickered a little as I felt my eyes narrow.

"One, I don't sing. Two, remind me why you would pretend to know what I do when I'm _bathing_." She just smiled benignly.

"The mystical aura, Sooooophie! It's the mystical, SHINY aura!"

"C-Candi... That doesn't m-m-make any sense..." Titty stuttered in his incredibly endearing fashion. We shuffled a few inches forward again.

"Urg... Hurry up..." I groaned, tapping my foot irritably.

"I know! Let's play a hand game!"

"You said that exact phrase about two minutes ago." Seth said, holding onto Sandshrew.

"Shrew! Sand sa!" (Let go! I have to beat up some random pokémon!)

"Ru... Bone cu sa ru..." (Come on... Just shut up.) Rui growled at him.

"Sa-" (Ah! You have spo-) _Thwack_.

"Hand game!" Candi said again, spinning me around to face her. "Clap left! Clap right! Now clap-" She missed and hit my face. "OOPS! I'm sorry, Soph-a-loaf!" I rubbed my cheek.

"Would a kiss make things better?" Seth said, then abruptly regretted his words. "Oh Arceus damn it. I was actually healing-" And I punched him. Who would have guessed? The line was moving more quickly now as more and more trainers moved outside.

"A bajillion-gazillion bottles of sugary-ness on the wall, a bajillion-gazillion bottles of sugary-ness! Take ten zillion down, pass 'em around-" Candi frowned suddenly. "Hey, Soph-a-loaf?"

"What?" I snapped.

"What's one less than a bajillion-gazillion?"

"Two." She beamed.

"Thankies!" Candi took a deep breath. "Two bottles of sug-"

"SHUT UP!" Seth and I yelled.

"Please?" Titty added after a pause. All around people were giving us weird looks. You think I'd be used to it by now. Nope.

"Thank Mew!" I exclaimed as we finally reached the computer.

"CANDI FIRST!" A _special_ someone yelled, running over to punch in random numbers.

"You might want to try your Trainer ID number." Seth suggested, as the screen repeatedly flashed "invalid".

"NO! I refuse the rules of society!"

"No, really? We already knew that." I told her, as she continued to punch all the buttons.

"Unless society offers slushies."

"Let's just say it does." Seth suggested, and Candi stopped at once.

"Okays!" She quickly punched in her number. "Let's go out for a slushie, Beth!"

"After I punch in my ID?"

"NOOOO!" Candi stopped and grinned. "Yup!" I rolled my eyes. Again, Candi is a category all in her own. As Seth finished, I stepped forward and entered my own number into the machine. When I hit the enter button, it whirred slightly and dinged.

"Alright. Your turn Titty-boy." I said, stepping aside to allow the wreck to pass. He gulped and slowly began pressing in his ID, one number at a time. Occasionally, he would flinch and delete everything.

"Dude. You didn't even mess up this time." Seth said at one point.

"I-I..." Titty wasn't able to come up with an answer.

"DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!" Mimicked Jeez.

"Perfect!" Titty said happily, as he managed to type in the ID.

"And that was just _so _different from all the other times you typed it." I said with an eye roll as we walked outside. "I mean... Really?" He flinched away from me, and I sighed. Now we just had to wait about an hour. What joyous times we live in.

Out in the courtyard, no one was quite sure what to do for the remaining time. There was a lot of awkward standing around, half-hearted battles that were never finished, and screams of randomness from Candi. Somehow, people seemed to think she was hilarious. Don't ask me how. It's still somewhat beyond me.

At a quarter to noon, a raucous bell rang, and students came flooding out of their classes, chattering and trying to balance their pokéballs on stacks of books. As before, they giggled as they saw us, whispering. From the snippets that I could catch, they were wondering which of us would be sharing their dorm room for the Trials. Seth was obviously running through various flirty comments he could use on the mini-skirt clad girls in his head. Titty was looking around as though someone was out to kill him.

"You okay there?" I asked, hoping I wouldn't have to leave the competition for Titty's paranoia.

"I-I- Eep! A-A girl!" He ducked behind Seth.

"Yeah, you don't see a lot of those these days." I grumbled, then turned as Mr. Important and the Ninetails came through the doors. He clapped, and the Ninetails gave a bark, catching peoples' attention.

"The time has come!" He said, beaming around. "Come i-" Mr. Important's voice was cut off by the tolling of the large bell. Most of the people got the message, however, and began making their way back to the building. Titty was giving Seth a flat tire as he walked close behind, trying to avoid everyone else.

"And that doesn't look weird at all..." I muttered, pulling my gaze away.

* * *

The inside of the building was now almost completely dark, so as to let a projected image fill the room. On it were three columns, with names of trainers, their partners, and the number of the Sim they would be using. Squinting, it took a while for my eyes to find my name.

"Lorell D'Ailey? Okay." I said to myself. "Damn, I can't tell if that's a six or an eight." I looked more intensely at the image. "Arceus damn it. Whatever. I'll go with eight." Seth was already headed off in another direction, as was Candi. Titty was rolled up in a ball, chanting,

"I will not look at the sign of doom, I will not look at the sign of doom." I rolled my eyes, and walked away, searching for Sim number eighty-three B. I weaved through the crowd, occasionally plowing through a midget or two. A girl -- Lorell, I suppose-- was already there, looking around to see who her partner was. She was a tall, blond girl in a knee-length blue dress that matched her eyes. Impatient, she tapped her ballet-flat covered feet on the carpeting.

I pulled myself out of the throng and walked toward Lorell and the Sim.

"Hi!" She smiled cheerily at me, all pretense of impatience vanishing. "You're Sophie, right?" I nodded. "I'm Lorell! Nice ta meetcha!"

"Uh... Yeah. Same." She ran her gloved hands through her hair.

"Hey... Have I seen you somewhere before?" She asked, frowning a bit. I looked at her, startled.

"Um... I don't think s-"

"Oh yeah! You were the girl at that smoothie bar! With the Magikarp!" My mouth formed a round "O".

"I guess so then..." It was coming back to me now. Lorell was the girl with the Clefairy, the girl whose chair Candi had knocked over.

"That was a pretty crazy stunt there. Did you see it on the news?" There was a sudden knotting in my stomach.

"The _news_?" I asked again, unsure of what I was hearing. She nodded.

"Yeah. And then it was turned into a contest for one of those crazy japanese games shows. It was something like 'How many chairs can you knock over by sliding on spilled slushie'. One of the best I've seen in _ages_!" Feeling uncomfortable, I said,

"Why don't we go into the Sims now." Lorell grinned, noticed how I was avoiding the subject.

"Alright then." We pushed open our respective doors and entered. The Sims were connected to each other, so that partners could see each other through a clear plastic screen. A chair with a headset on it was the only thing in the space. It was an office chair, with fake leather and plastic arm rests. The headset was like on of those commando movies, small, thin ear covers with a microphone and eyepiece. I looked at it with distaste. It had "stupid" written all over it. With a disgruntled sigh, I sat in the chair and put the dorky thing on. The eyepiece flickered with an amber light, and flashed suddenly.

"Please return all pokémon to their pokéballs and place your pokédex on the indicated square." A digital voice whirred from the headset. I returned Sepo and Rui, silently apologizing for whatever goes on inside that pokéball of hers. A glowing square showed a slight indent in the floor where my crapdex was supposed to go. I set it down and looked through the screen at Lorell. She was settling into her seat, brushing her dress from underneath her.

The dark glass around me suddenly lit, Mr. Important's face coming up on screen. I looked back at Lorell's Sim screen. It showed the same image. I guess this means that the competition is beginning. Mr. Important started to speak, showing super-whitened teeth.

"Welcome to the first of the trials. To get you familiar with the Sims, today will be a battle of pure strength, every pokémon with almost unrivaled power. Every battle will be a double battle, and the only way to ensure success is to work in harmony with your partner." He gave another overlarge smile. "Your pokémon team will be the fully-evolved versions of your current team. You will use three of them and their move-sets will be generated randomly. Are you ready to begin?" _That's a rhetorical question. _I thought. _Yeah, he would really cared if we answered him. _"Very well! Let the simulation commence!" His face vanished and a horrendous sound ripped through the ear phones. I flinched and looked at Lorell, who was bent over slightly. She had just sneezed.

"Ouch..." I murmured, rubbing my ears.

She looked over and realizing that I had heard her, gave a soft, "Sorry." I gave her a little smile. Then the glass appeared to ripple, as a fancy boot-up sequence began, showing a lot of super-powered pokémon exploding out of their pokéballs, ready to battle. The graphics were pretty good, though I'm sure some computer nerd would be all, "These are the best graphics of the millennia!" Insert glasses-pushes and snorts where necessary.

Everything became light-yellow, and I read the words as they appeared on the screen.

"Please be patient while pokédex information is being scanned." I shifted in the chair, realizing that after awhile it would become uncomfortable. Impatiently, I sighed through my nose, tapping my feet in an irregular rhythm. Thirty seconds later, there was a ding and the message,

"Pokédex information successfully scanned. The Battle Simulation V. 39.5 will now commence."

"Woo... Let's blast off." I mumbled under my breath, forgetting that Lorell could hear me. I couldn't tell if the noise on the other end was her sighing or giving a little laugh. The screen changed again, and I could see my current team. Listed beside them were their stats, movesets, and names. Another soft purr from the machine and the pokémon were replaced. Now there stood a marowak, a venusaur, and a gyarados, the quality of their known moves and stats greatly increased. _Damn... _I thought, looking at the team I would be using for this challenge. _They look... Scary, almost._

In a box at the top right of a corner, the Sim was randomly choosing another pair of partners to compete against. It stopped at Sim number thirty-seven.

"Lorell D'Ailey and Sophie Ng vs. Kyle Brawn and Jarel Yosaka."

"Alright! Let's do this!" Lorell crackled through the headset.

"Great to know someone is optimistic these days." I said, giving a half smile.

"And it sucks to know that so many people think optimism is rare." She retorted, before the the glass "rippled" again, showing a dirt arena. A prompt popped up in the eye piece.

_**Select first pokémon. **_

"Yeah, thanks for telling me how to work this thing." I growled, poking at the eyepiece. "_Work _already!"

Lorell giggled, and said, "It's voice activated, silly. Just say it. See? _Clera_." She said firmly, and a Clefable appeared at my left.

"Oh." Feeling more than a little stupid, I said, "_Rui,_" hoping to Mew that at least this bit of technology wasn't messed up. To my relief, a Marowak appeared in the center of my screen. Opposite us came a Charizard and a Slowking. _Fire and _flying_... and a _Water_. _With a scowl, I realized that Marowak wasn't a brilliant choice.

"_Moveset and stats._" Lorell said. Eh. That would be smart. I repeated her words and looked at the moves.

_**Marowak. Level 100. Moves: Earthquake, Double Edge, Fling, and Endeavor. Ability: Rock Head. Held item: Thick Club. **_

It listed a number of other stats that I couldn't fathom the meaning of. I mean, what is three-hundred ten out of? Five hundred? One thousand? I need to hire a smart person. In any case, what caught my attention was the "Double Edge" and the "Rock Head". Marowak wouldn't take any damage from the usage. Excellent.

"Battle will begin in three... two..."

"Eh, what?" I said, and Lorell gave another sigh/ laugh.

"-One! Battle will now commence!" The recording ended.

"Now wha-" I began, but Lorell had already given a command,

"_Meteor Mash_!"

"Oh dang." I muttered, watching the virtual meteors slamming into the opponent's pokémon. "Uh... _Double Edge _on Charizard!" I watched, stunned, as Marowak became a blur, speeding at the Charizard. Grinning crazily, I was just waiting for the moment of impact to knock out the opponent. So it was a bummer when Charizard leaped into the air, causing Marowak to miss completely.

"Uh oh..." Lorell said, making me look closer at what was happening. "I think you might want to move your Marowak, Sophie." I gulped, looking at the huge Surf that was forming by Slowking.

"No, really?"

* * *

Oak whistled merrily, checking off his list of the necessary items for the next day's group of beginning trainers. No more biting Bulbasaurs to worry about, the newest episode of everyone-knows-what was coming out in ten minutes, and his new eyebrow-pluckers had been delivered. What could possibly go wrong? But as everybody knows, that is a stupid question.

Tacking his assistant's duties for the next to the bulletin board, Oak hurried outside to get the delivered item. A small, cardboard box was waiting in the mailbox, a large stamp of approval on the side. Grabbing the box and the other letters (or bills) he went back inside, skipping a little on his way.

"Ho hum the witch is dead, the wicked witch of BLAAAAAAAH!" He sang, loud and proud. Tossing aside the bills, he went into the safety of his room to open the box. "My precious..." He said, stroking it as he went up the stairs.

Oak ripped the box open, singing yet another song, "Deck the halls with hm hum ha hum... Fa la la la- FUCK!" He yelped, springing away from the box as though it carried anthrax. "What is this? _Spartan Sauerkraut_? What the... How..." He sputtered, at a loss for words. "Who the hell are the Spartans?"

Misdreavious drifted in, saying casually, "Dreaviiiiaaaa..." (The cool dudes in plumed helmets.)

"Oh. I see. So 'Spartan' is the short way of saying: The Plaid and Sauerkraut Association of Johto, Hoenn, and a lot of Other Regions that are Always Forgotten?"

"Reeeev..." (Whatever floats your frigging Lapras.)

* * *

***Author's Note* Yes... The time has finally come! This is twenty chapters! The big two-oh! The very first chapter didn't count because there was no actual story... Anyway, a great big thank you to everyone that has been with me every step of the way, since this fiction first came out! I'm mostly talking J. Whitnee, Lolli-S, and Money Stax. You guys rock!**

**Well, here's something new. J. Whitnee and I have... A FORUM! Yes, there's a little bit of everything, from OC help to a place to flame us, along with Role-plays, a question section, and more! You can reach it from my profile. It's titled "Gray Hat, Purple Scarf." I look forward to seeing you guys there!**

**And a message to yomaster/ New fic/ Delano/ Doc/ Whatever you call yourself these days. I'm afraid that I really don't need any Pokémon OCs (and on top of that, someone has already submitted a Bayleef), you will want to wait for the sequel for that. **

**Speaking of sequel... Guess what? J. Whitnee and I already have our sequels planned out! Mine is going to be a reborn, featuring a Tyrogue with gender problems. So stay tuned for more about that. **

**Let's see... Oh yes. I put a little thing on my profile about great fics that you should read (there's also a place on our forum that allows you to advertise good fics!) so have a look at that. It would also be great if you had a look at my poll (unless you already have).**

**"Belief at Dawn" has an incredible author... Funny (yeah and ****_witty_ for those douches that seem to care), excellent at writing pairings, and her grammar is loads better than a lot of people's. **

**I really do need OCs, and as before, I don't care if you've already submitted one. Submit another! As long as it isn't a Sue, it will probably appear soon. And Lorell D'Ailey belongs to... xEmilia! The girl who knows about Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy! Thank you, xEmilia!**

**And just out of curiosity... What pairings do you think would be the cutest? They most likely won't happen until much later, maybe not even until the sequel, but I need your opinion! **

**Happy holidays! Whether you celebrate Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa... May your holidays be jolly! I plan to update by 2010, but if not, have a happy new year!**


	22. Chapter 21: An Epic, Fake Battle

**_Chapter Twenty One: An Epic, Fake Battle  
_**

* * *

"Dodge!" That didn't work. "Jump!" Failed. "Roll!" Not freaking happening. "Get out of the way!" Another of those 'Why bother?' moments. "ARGH! WORK!" I yelled in frustration at the screen and the eyepiece. "Why won't you WORK?" I poked it angrily. "I hate technology."

"Think of something fast!" Lorell urged me. "Do you want to get out in the first round?"

"Yes. I do." I growled. But my mind was racing. _Can't use Dig, can't dodge for some weird reason, so that means... Hell, I don't even know what that means. _The torrent of water was rising higher by the second. "Lorell! You're smart! What should I do?"

"I hope I am. I'd say... Actually, I don't know. Do whatever you haven't tried yet."

"The only thing I haven't tried is smashing the Sim. Now that I mention it, that sounds like a good idea."

"Don't be thick! Maybe the Sim will only respond to-- AH! _Metronome_!" She yelled, causing a screech of feedback to pierce my ears.

"Will only respond to what?" I couldn't keep the note of panic from my voice any longer.

"YEAH! Giga Drai- I mean, try being... uh... specific?"

"_DODGE RIGHT_!" To my intense happiness, Marowak moved swiftly in the right direction. Then I saw what I stupid decision that was.

"SOPH-" Lorell started to shout, another wave of feedback shattering my eardrums.

"Ah! I know! I know! _Dodge left, WAY left_!" In my idiotic state, I had made Marowak dive right into the path of the massive wave. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." I rubbed my palm into my forehead, almost popping the eyepiece out of its socket. "_Stupid_-"

"Will you stop saying that?"

"No." The water barely missed Marowak, slapping her hard on the tail, making her spin around drunkenly. "_Double Edge_ again on the Slowking!"

"_Dodge_- uh- _left_!" The Charizard had swooped down, using Fly on the Clefairy as Marowak darted forward again. Slowking flashed silver and Marowak froze in her tracks.

"What the hell?"

"Double Edge is now disabled." The electric voice whirred.

"STUP-"

"Shut up!" Lorell cut me off. "Stop being such a downer!"

"Yes m'" I drawled, and said, "Okay... _Fling_!" I nearly shouted into the mic as soon as the Slowking's back was turned.

"_Sweet Kiss_!" I became aware that Charizard was now trembling, his whole being covered with growing flames.

"Hurry with that Kiss!" I yelled, and my eyes flickered from Marowak to Clera, and back again.

Marowak's Thick Club was emitting an eerie black light. Her wrist snapped forward in a blinding motion, sending the Club spinning at the Slowking, cracking it on the head, enveloping it in the same, creepy light. It cried out and keeled over, shrinking away into nothingness.

"Nice! One down, who knows how many more to go!" She cheered on the other end. Marowak picked up the Thick Club and looked around. Clera and Charizard were on a collision course. "Come on! _Sweet Kiss_!" Lorell commanded again. Clera leaped into the air, twirling around, hearts swirling around her. "Now! Release!" Charizard was just twenty feet away from making contact when the heart flew outwards, as though something had-- as Candi would say-- gone BIG boom. Charizard reeled back, confused, as animated Psyducks danced around his head.

"Cute." I said, a smile twisting my lips. The Charizard went careening into the ground, flames extinguishing against the dirt. It flipped back up, unfazed, and its claws swirled with a red and blue light. "ARGH! I can't tell what the stu- Oh." A small box in the eyepiece popped up.

"Charizard used Dragon Claw," It read.

"And now it tells me." I grumbled as the Charizard began using a combination of Fly and Dragon Claw. "Arceus damn it! We can't hit it in the air! Lorell!"

"Yeah?"

"What moves does Clera have?"

"Um... Metronome, Meteor Mash, Gravity-"

"YES!"

"Huh?"

"Use Gravity! We can ground Charizard, and Marowak's Earthquake will take it out!" I said happily.

"Genius! EEP! _Dodge right_!" She squeaked, Charizard dive-bombing Clera. Upon missing, he swooped at Marowak.

"_Dodge left_!" I gasped, choking a little. A flash of light, and a Persian was on the field, hissing and spitting convincingly.

"_Gravity_!" Lorell ordered, as the persian gathered flames for a Flamethrower.

"Gravity changed." The eyepiece flashed with the message. On screen, all of the pokémon were suddenly bent over, struggling against the intensified gravity. Charizard had it the worst, falling in a very splat-like fashion on the ground.

"Okay... _Earthquake_! Fast!" I said, swallowing the lump of excitement in the back of my throat. Already not the fastest of the lot, Marowak was slow to respond, giving the persian just enough time to let loose a Flamethrower. I gritted my teeth. Earthquake should allow Marowak to leap higher than usual into the air, in order to slam the ground. But with Gravity... I could see my idea falling apart before my eyes. "_Dodge while jumping_!"

"Will it be able to get off the ground?" Lorell crackled in my ear.

"I hope so..." Marowak shoved off the ground, going about half as high as it should have, the Flamethrower torching its body. "Heat! Rises! HIGHER!"

"Are you... okay?" She asked.

"No. Not at all." I said, grinning insanely as Marowak hit the ground, cracks spiderwebbed outwards, the whole picture shaking around.

"CLERA!" My head snapped around, trying to see what what was happening. In one last effort, the Charizard had lifted sent a vicious Fire Blast at Clera, who wasn't able to move half as fast.

"Marowak! I mean, Rui! _Double Edge_ and get her out of the way!" The enhanced speed from the Double Edge allowed her to knock Clera to the ground. But it wasn't enough. The gravity tugged them both down into the path of the Fire Blast.

"AH!" Lorell and I both yelled, the machine retaliating with another horrendous screech. Charizard issued a small tongue of fire from his nostrils before shrinking down, unconscious. "AH!" We yelled again. The flames cleared, revealing a KOed Clera and a barely conscious Rui.

_Barely alive…_ For some reason, those words meant something. I frowned, deep in thought, not realizing that Lorell was trying to talk to me.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed through the set. I must have jumped a foot in the air.

"What?" I yelped.

"I was saying, use Endeavor on that Snorlax! Vesta can finish him off then!"

"Snorlax? Vesta? Those names sound so fami- Oh crap." My jaw dropped. Something big and blue was filling the entire right of the screen.

"Yeah, I know, right? That's why I said to use Endeavor. Vesta's my Ponyta. Or Rapidash now, I guess. _Will o' Wisp _on the Snorlax!" The beautiful horse swung its head around, its fires turning momentarily blue before creating globes of sapphire flames. They danced around the Snorlax, encircling it, then alighting on the skin.

"Snorlax was burned!" The eyepiece flashed.

"Now! Hurry!" Lorell said, excitement raising the pitch.

"_Endeavor _on the Snorlax!" I commanded swiftly, wanting to avoid another scream from her. Lavender cubes and spheres were coming out from every inch of Rui's body, flying at the Snorlax and absorbing into him, leaving gashes in their wake.

"Snorlax was hurt by its burn!" Lorell and I cheered at the message, but Snorlax wasn't shrinking away. "Snorlax used Rest!"

"ARCUES DAMN IT!" I roared.

"Persian used Faint Attack!" At this message, along the image of the Persian knocking into Rui, it was enough to have me hitting my head against the fancy walls of the Sim. Not to mention that Rui was now shrinking away in the same light the rest had. "Select secondary pokémon." Sepo or Cupcake… I wonder which.

"_Sepo_." I said, without hesitation. Sepo the Venusaur appeared. "Oh dang. Those things are _big_," I muttered to myself. "Wait, Lorell, who should we get rid of?" We were faced with two Normal types, one with an irritating habit of regenerating health, the other with a useful habit of bringing in cash.

"Um… Persian's fast… Does Venusaur know any status inducers?"

"You mean like paralysis?"

"Yeah." I checked the moveset on Venusaur.

_**Moves: Seed Bomb, Leech Seed, Frenzy Plant, Synthesis.**_

I looked at the set with raised eyebrows. All Grass type moves. They couldn't have even bothered to give me a nice Sludge Bomb, or something.

"So? Does it have anything like that?" She asked, adding quickly, "_Dodge left and Agility_!"

"Nope. Just a lot of Grass moves."

"Poop." She commented, though she sounded happy, watching the Rapidash swiftly bombard the persian with a flurry of kicks.

"Snorlax used Giga Impact!"

"_Leech Seed_ it!" I said, without thinking. The big ol' flower on Venusaur's back shot the seeds out, almost like a tank firing bullets. They struck the Snorlax, knocking it back a little as vines started to grow over it. "Woah…" I whispered to myself. That must have been a really kickass Leech Seed to actually start growing _vines_.

"Awesome! Two status thingies on one!" Realizing that she was talking about the burn along with the Leech Seed, I smiled.

"_Flamethrower_, and mix that with your _Agility_!"

"And _Seed Bomb_ that Snorlax for all it's worth!"

"Snorlax used Blizzard! Persian used Night Slash!"

"Poop," Lorell said again, pouting a little. Sepo was bombing the Snorlax, most of the effect just ricocheting off of its blubber. Snow was starting to form around Snorlax, and I knew it was only a matter of time before it unleashed it upon Sepo. But… This wasn't like in the actual world. There were determining factors. Blizzard was a powerful move; therefore there should be some cons to using it. Too bad I had no idea what those were. Well, not much that I could do.

"_Dodge right_!" I commanded. "Then use… um…" Picking a move at random, I finished, "_Frenzy Plant_!" Venusaur rolled to the right as Rapidash was starting to finish off the Persian. The combination of Agility and Flamethrower were causing what looked like a firestorm, a massive cyclone of flames.

The Blizzard just managed to catch Sepo's left legs, encasing them in ice. She roared and glowed green, preparing the Frenzy Plant.

"Kyle Brawn has been defeated!" The message appeared, confetti showering the words.

"Oh yeah! Go Vesta!" Lorell crowed, laughing cheerily. "Coming to help ya, Sophie!" But I didn't answer, for on screen, roots and tendrils had erupted in a twenty-foot radius around the Snorlax. They wrapped around it, shoving their thorns into every available part of flesh. Combined with the vines from the Leech Seed, Snorlax was looking like one big Burmy.

"_Sunny Day_!" Lorell said, then continued, "This battle's going to last… Maybe one more minute." I smiled, enjoying the exhilaration of a near win. The arena was flooded with light, and the growth of the vines intensified, powered by the sun's energy. The ice was melting off of Sepo's legs.

"Snorlax used Strength!" The cocoon that made up Snorlax and the plants bulged abruptly, as it tried to break free.

"_Agility_, Vesta, and keep it from escaping!" Vesta surged forward, flames brighter than ever. Darting everywhere, she kicked at the Snorlax, confusing it.

"Alright Sepo, let's see another Seed Bomb!" Panting heavily, she blasted one last time at the Snorlax. The explosions made me think of fireworks, loud, but still fun to watch.

Snorlaz wobbled unsteadily, but nearly regained its balance. That is, until Vesta gave another kick, and it fell over, shrinking down.

"Jarel Yosaka has been defeated! Lorell D'Ailey and Sophie Ng are victorious!"

"YES!" I yelled, jumping up and ripping the stupid device from my head. Though I could no longer hear her, I saw Lorell do the same through the plastic divider. The Sim gave another message.

"Please collect all personal possessions before exiting the Sim. Proceed to Dormitory Building C, Floor two. You will be staying in the Oak Room." I grabbed my pokédex and fingered Rui and Sepo's pokéballs. The door hissed open and I jumped out into the sunlight filtering through the once-again opened skylights.

"High five, girl!" Lorell said excitedly, and we slapped our hands with a crack. "You staying in the Oak Room?"

"Yeah," I said, appreciating the irony of its name. "Are the competitors taking over one of the dorm buildings?"

"I guess so. Someone said that it's once of the extra girl dorms." Feeling the irony yet?

"Think they're going to be serving lunch? I'm starving." I half-complained as we exiting the glass roofed building for the four dorm buildings nearby.

"I hope so. I could eat a Miltank. With some salt, naturally." She added on as an afterthought. I grinned at her, not even bothered that she was rivaling my height.

The sound of yelling from inside made us turn around. Candi was running after Mr. Important, who was clutching his mouth.

"Oh my Arceus... Is that... blood?" We stared at the stuff coming out from Mr. Important's mouth.

"Well, it's red, liquid-y, and coming out of his mouth." I reasoned. "So in conclusion... It must be..." It was funny how I was holding her attention. "Tomato juice."

"Aw, come on! That's lame sauce! Seriously!" She complained.

"Yeah, it's probably blood." A long pause. "What the hell did Candi _do_?" I walked briskly back inside the building, and heard exactly what was going on.

"-too white! You're a _vampire_ and a _gum-snatcher_!" She was screaming attacking him. "I learned chop suey from Soph-a-loaf!"

"MMPH!" He shouted, frustrated that he couldn't call security.

"No teeth are that white! Shun! Shun! SOPH-A-LOAF!" She changed paths at once and bounded over to me, hugging me. "When's lunch?" She asked, giggling a little. Lorell walked over with both eyebrows up.

"So... You attacked him because...?"

"HE'S A VAMPIRE!" She yelled, then gave her a look. "Hello, new fwend!" She jumped up and hugged her. "You're _tall_."

"Thanks?" I gave her a subtle nod that said,

"Just go along with it." I coughed, and spoke, "Where's your partner, Candi?"

"Partner? I have a _partner_? Yays! Candi loves partners!"

"You're joking, right?"

"Yesh, I'm joking! My partner is... WAIT! My partner is..." She frowned. "Candi forgot. But Candi knows that her partner has... a Swablu! It landed on my head and nearly pooted!"

"Pooted?" Lorell said, and I can officially put her in the "Completely lost" category.

"Again, where is your partner?" Candi's eyes widened.

"OH MY ARCEUS! I forgot her at home!" She sprinted off, still surprisingly fast.

"You wanna..." I trailed off, gesturing with my head toward the door.

"Yeah." She agreed quickly, and we hurried to the dorm building.

* * *

Dormitory Building C looked modern and sleek, with fancy tinted windows and chrome frames. We pushed open the glass doors and entered the lobby, which was full of flat screen TVs and other fancy, nice stuff.

"Geez, this is the _spare_ dormitory?" Lorell asked skeptically, though looking as though she wanted to whistle in appreciation. "Sophie, we are gonna stay here a _long_ time, okay?"

"Sure. We just gotta keep winning."

"And that's no problem! Now, where are the stairs?" I looked around at her question. _Elevator... Elevator... Stairs? Nah... Elevator... _I just sound so intelligent, sometimes.

"Oh look," I said, pointing. "It's a staircase. I wonder what we could use that for." Lorell gave me a look.

"I'm gonna have to break you of your habit of sarcasm."

"I would appreciate that _very_ much." I said, then clamped down on my tongue before I could say anything else. We climbed a single flight of stairs and arrived in the doorway to Floor Two.

"Wow..." She murmured, as I raised an eyebrow.

"So we get the hippie level?" I asked, staring at the rows of varying plants that lined the halls.

"Stop being such a pessimist! It's so much better than a regular dorm!" She chided me, and felt the leaves on one of the plants. "Wow... They're so... _real_." I sighed and didn't say anything, merely checked doors for the label, "Oak." A few other kids were talking in doorways, jabbering on about how fun the Sims were, blah blah blah. A few doors down, a girl and a grouchy looking Kecleon were entering Oak.

"We got ourselves a room mate." I said, tugging Lorell away from the plant and toward the door.

"Really? Who? Is she nice? Can I meet her?"

"Uh... Yes." I replied, and we entered the room. "Urg... Return to hippie land..." Potted plants, a number of peace signs painted on the walls, and one of those "Water is a precious natural resource, a towel on the rack means 'I'll reuse'" and so on. Four twin-sized beds with a nightstand, and a large, full wall window made up the rest of the room.

Sporting her hair in two, loose pigtails tied with green ribbon, Kecleon girl looked over. Her face split into a smile at once. She hugged both of us, and made rapid hand movements, first pointing to herself, saying,

"Marika." She gestured at the Kecleon. "Sam."

"Ke, ke, cleeeeeon!" It complained, and Marika did a Japanese bow, then a few more motions. It looked like she was imitating a ninja, her head moving shiftily from side to side.

"Woah! Do you know sign language?" Lorell asked, as outgoing as ever. Marika shook her head, held up one finger, and made a bunch of random movements. "Just awesome charade gestures?" Marika nodded vigorously, holding up her hand for a high five. "You're cool! I'm Lorell!" The girl hugged her again, beaming, then turned to me and cocked her head, like a chatot examining something.

"Oh yeah. I'm Sophie." She smiled and hugged me, too. Suddenly, she held up her hands in a "wait" gesture and rummaged through her bag. Pulling out a couple decorative pokéballs ("Did you _make _those?" A nod) she released their contents.

"Che che..."

"Fro! LA-SA!" A cherubi and a froslass appeared in front of us. Pointing to herself, then to us, then bowing, her pokémon stepped forward.

"Su...zy!" The froslass said, the name sounding slightly foreign in her mouth.

"Saku-ra..." Then the cherubi scampered into a corner, snatching Sam's berry on the way.

"Cute! Here're mine!" Lorell tossed three balls into the air, letting loose her ponyta, clefairy, and a feebas.

"Dang, you have a _feebas_?" I asked, feeling the same surge of slight jealousy that I had felt at Nocturne's eevee.

"Yup! The feebas is Shara Jr., the clefairy is Clera, and my ponyta is Vesta!" She nudged me. "Introduce your pokémon, too." Still staring at the feebas, I was a little too slow to respond, earning myself a sharp elbow in the ribs.

"Ack! Will you stop doing that?" I growled at her, before pulling out my own pokémon. I released them, pointing,

"That's Rui, Sepo, and Cupcake. Sepo tends to bi- STOP IMBECILE!" I shouted, diving forward to try and stop Sepo from biting Suzy. And if there's anything that you should know about my life, it's that nothing seems to go right. I missed, nearly squashed Cupcake, and Sepo chomped on Suzy's arm. There was a long pause.

Then Marika made wild movements that all added up to one thing: Get the hell away from Suzy. And it was obvious why. Suzy was glowing and frost was starting to form on the wood around her.

"Get back this instant, Sepo! Or else I will- Oh my Arceus it's cold." I cut myself off and ducked behind a bed, returning Cupcake and cradling Rui protectively.

"GROAAAAAAA!" Suzy roared, sounding like the ice breaking against a hard-wood table. And all that was said?

"Oh... Poop!"

* * *

Misty scowled. Of course, her mother never listened to her, always misinterpreting _everything_ that Misty ever told her. Lying on the bed/ chair-thing, she glowered up at the doctor. Or rather, the shrink. He smiled placidly down at her, checking his clipboard.

"Miss Misty, how are you today?"

"Well, I was good until I saw you." She snapped at him. He only have another smile.

"That's good to hear."

"Excuse me?"

"No need to excuse yourself unless you have passed gas. Which I must assume you haven't."

"EXCUSE ME?" She yelled. "Will someone frigging tell me what the hell I'm _doing _here?"

"Of course, of course. Just one second." He turned and spoke in hushed tones to the hypno behind him. After about ten seconds, Misty decided that she couldn't stand it anymore.

"THIS DOES IT! I'M OUTTA HERE!" She yelled, and began storming out the door. With an exchange of serious glances, the shrink gave the slightest nod to the hypno. It stuck out its foot, tripping Misty. "AUGH!" She yelled, getting Psychic-ed back onto the chair. The doctor settled himself in his own seat.

"Now," he started. "would you say that you tend to impatiently and irrationally jump to conclusions that end in concussions?" Misty stared.

"Excuse me?"

* * *

***Author's Note* Well, I actually was able to update before the new year :) I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas (or Hanukkah, though I suppose that's a bit late) **

**And our Oak Paragraph featured Misty this time, inspired by your comments about her anger management. I'm almost worried that I'm going to be running out of material for OPs, so I might create a forum thread about it. Might even turn into a contest, too. **

**Speaking of forum... Have you had a look at it yet? Seeing as we all love to meet our fellow authors, J. Whitnee and I hope you participate. There's a link on my profile, it's called "Grey Hat, Purple Scarf" There's a bit of everything there, and you can create your own topics, as well. **

**There's a poll on my profile considering pairings (though there most likely won't be any until much later), that I'd love for you to take. Thanks to Money Stax for reminding me of the wondrous poll option. **

**The new OCs in this chapter!**

**Marika belongs to Mysteryless (that is your name now, right?)**

**Calysta (Cali) belongs to Ki-nee-chan**

**And more will be appearing in later chapters! So just hold on tight. **

**Fictions that I am promoting:**

**"Belief at Dawn" by _J. Whitnee_. First off, this is the one I am collaborating with, so of course it's good. No, seriously. It really is good.  
**

**"Chronicles of Fate: 17 Knights" by _J. Whitnee_**

**"Turning over a New Leaf" by _lil' white Rave__n_, seriously, this is my favorite reborn-fic that I have ever read. Personally, I think it's even better than ALNM. I'm not saying that ALNM isn't incredible (it is, believe me) but something about ****"Turning over a New Leaf" just makes me say: Now THAT'S my kind of fic.**

**Pretty much every OC fic by _Lolli-S_. Yes, she is THAT amazing.**

**These notes get longer and longer, don't they? Well, R&R and make me happy!  
**


	23. Chapter 22: Food, Glorious Food

_**Chapter Twenty Two: Food, Glorious Food**_

* * *

Of course, our last roommate had to walk in just then, to find us crouching behind beds, a forty-degree temperature in the room, and a bulbasaur biting a froslass. Yeah, completely normal scene.

"Um... What's going on?" Everyone looked over at the new girl, who spoke so softly, we wouldn't have heard her unless everything was so quiet. Taking the initiative, I spoke up, with a touch of "what a normal scene" in my voice.

"My bulbasaur, named Super Evil Plant of Doom, is biting a froslass named Suzy who is most likely going to turn him into a pokésicle."

"O-Oh... Alright then?" She blinked deep green eyes and shuffled to an unoccupied bit of wall.

"Wait, what _is_ Suzy doing?" I asked, suddenly realizing that neither a Blizzard or an Ice Beam was being created. "She's not- FUUUUH," I choked, realizing that a few of these girls probably wouldn't appreciate. "Uh… Fuff? Like the marshmallow stuff…" Realizing then that I did have a reason to swear, I gave up, rubbing the spot where a massive chunk of ice had hit it. Stupid pokémon using Hail… Which is what the attack was, of course.

"This dorm better be pokémon proof," Lorell said beside me.

"Do you know how ironic it would be if it wasn't?" I said, smiling a little. Fancy, high tech dorm buildings, and they hadn't even bothered to poke-proof the place. Naturally, that would be funny, but they hadn't forgotten anything of the sort. With a metallic clatter, a trio of pokémon dropped through a grate.

A tangela, a pikachu, and a ditto, all with stupid caps that read "Poké Tech Department of Security." Heads swiveling to find the disturbance, and spotting Sepo and Suzy, dashed over. The tangela shot out its vines, binding Suzy's arms as the pikachu shocked her. Suzy struggled, then keeled over, paralyzed. The ditto was busy handing out flyers for some dental company ("Wear your mouth-guards, kids!") Then quickly as they appeared, they left, the tangela tossing them up into the ventilation shaft, the door clanging shut behind them.

Slowly, almost nervously, I straightened back up, relishing the _pop_ my knees gave. The others had done the same, and Sepo waddled cheerfully back to my leg. Lorell made a small noise in the back of her throat.

"Anyone for lunch?" She asked, though it was more a way to break the silence.

"Yeah," The new girl and I rapidly answered, Marika nodding. We left the dorm room, shutting it with a short _ker-chunk_.

"Oh! We haven't introduced ourselves!" Lorell said as we walked down the hallway o' greenery. "I'm Lorell D'Ailey!" She pushed stray blond hairs out of her face.

"I'm Sophie Ng," I added, trying hard not to imitate a hair-push. Marika moved forward, giving a bow, and giving her simple,

"Marika."

"I'm Calys- er, Cali," She mumbled, twisting hands in her black and purple shorts pockets.

"Bo-no, ruisa ma." (Lucky you, you have two roommates that don't talk and one that screams if you don't listen to her.) Rui commented from my shoulder. I threw her a look.

"I hate when I can't tell whether you're being sarcastic or not," I said, irritated.

"So, where're ya'll from?" Once again, Lorell was trying to strike up conversation. Funny how there wouldn't be much from a mumbler, a phony sign-language girl, and… grumpy-geezer me. Okay, our epic win _had_ made me very happy. But weird mood swing stop happy feeling. So Sophie is now grumpy. And hungry. Sophie _very _hungry. Sophie speak caveman.

Marika went into a series of motions that everyone stared at. After maybe a minute, she had finished. Realizing that we were clueless, she spoke,

"Celadon City."

"Oh! Gotcha!" We pounded down the staircase, I taking them two at a time.

"So, does anyone know where we're supposed to eat? Or are we just gonna wander aimlessly and shoot a miltank or two?" I said, the attitude no doubt from an empty stomach. Or, even more likely, because I'm just _such _a little angel. Marika looked at me quizzically. I guess she wasn't on board with the snarkiness.

"A HA!" Lorell shouted suddenly. "A student!"

"How exotic," I said, and she glared. However, a smile appeared on her face as she hurried over to talk to the boy. I smirked when I realized that she was considerably taller than the boy, who was looking a bit put off by this. It looked like they were exchanging pleasantries. "Oh come on! I'm hungry!" Marika bumped me on the arm and shook her head, pointing to her smile. I bit my lip.

"Bone sa!" (Ah… You're gonna have to be all _happy_ while you're here!)

"Careful I don't knock you off my shoulder."

"-Thank you so much!" Lorell was coming back, waving over her shoulder. "Alright, gals, mess hall this way!" She led us to some building in the center of the campus.

"Mm! Cafeteria food! My favorite!" Were my first words when I entered the building. Both Lorell and Marika hit my arms. "Thanks."

We pushed the door open, and a wave of noise hit us. At long tables, students were sitting eating (half of them throwing) their lunch. There was a certain table signifying where the competitors should sit. Over the generic noise, a familiar shout meet my ears.

"What is this? SEGREGATION? I refuse! I refuse the rules of society!" My dear Candi was yelling, struggling to be released from the "Poké Tech Department of Security" tangela. "Meowth! Use- Oh look! A shiny fork!" Relaxing immediately, she tottered docilely off to the fork bin, rummaging through with Meowth and Zubat. The silence that had fallen was swiftly broken by more chatter. Lorell and Marika were laughing, Marika clutching her stomach. Even quiet little Calysta was managing a smile.

"Is she… trying to be funny?" Cali asked, her reserved nature fading slightly. I shook my head.

"Nah. I'm pretty sure she's always that crazy," I told her, and grabbed a tray at the beginning of the lunch line. "Hm… What's on the menu today? Crap ala-" I got another sharp rap. "Mew, can't you leave me to my sarcasm? I'm proud of who I am, okay?" I put on the voice of one of those "Believe in yourself: don't bow to peer-pressure" video girls. High and whiney all the way.

A bored-looking cafeteria lady walked over.

"Can I help ya?" She said, voice like a sassy granbull. "Our special today is Mystery Sh- er, Meat." I wrinkled my nose. Similar to many trainers, I didn't eat tons of meat. Spaghetti and meatballs, yes, massive lumps of who-knows-what kind of meat, no. Sure, they didn't slaughter pokémon anymore, but there was just something that conneted pokémon to the creatures that they did butcher.

Feeling a little queasy at the sight of massive bins containing the meat, I looked down the line.

"How 'bout a salad," I decided, the scent of Mystery Meat taking the bite off my hunger.

"Caesar or ranch dressing?" The woman asked, as a few more lunch-ladies went to help the other girls.

"Eh… Caesar," I decided, right as an ear-splitting scream rent the air.

"What did I _tell_ you?" Lorell screamed at the woman, who stared back with that same sassy-granbull expression. "No meat! No meat! NO MEAT!" She smacked her gray-gloved hands onto the counter. "Why won't you LISTEN TO ME?" The cafeteria was gradually getting more and more quiet, and I swallowed nervously as I accepted the container for the salad and dressing.

"Sepo… Give her a little dose of Sleep Powder. Not a lot though," I whispered, and continued, "Or she's gonna crush Clera."

"DOOM!" (WHEE!) Sepo agreed happily, releasing my leg. "Ba ba da DOO!" (Up, up, and away! FUN!) She let out the tiniest puff of green powder at Lorell, who was still unleashing her wrath upon the lunch lady.

"Ru sa cube?" (Did she get her face set like that in plastic surgery?) Rui commented, staring at the sassy-granbull ladies, for their expression hadn't changed a fraction of an inch.

"Probably." Lorell blinked suddenly.

"Oh. I… apologize… Buddha won't be very happy," She mumbled. "I'll have the minestrone soup…" Sepo walked back to my leg.

"Do poo sa bul!" (Mission successful, boss!) She whispered in her gravelly, bulbasaur voice.

"Good job. What do you guys want for lunch?"

"Bone clu sa!" (Cheri berries!)

"Ba!" (Ditto!) I stared.

"You want to eat a _ditto_?"

"Ba! Eh… Bul! Doom pa bulba?" (Yes! I mean, no! Oh my Arceus, are they those squishy things?)

"Bo!" (No, retard. Think about it.)

"I appreciate that, Rui." I mumbled to her, grabbing a soda and moving to the register.

"Are ye a compet'er?" Sassy-granbull one asked, punching in numbers with pudgy fingers.

"Yeah."

"Then yer total 's two hundred thirty-five pokédollars." I rummaged in my pouch for the appropriate amount of change, then sliding the bills over. Lorell slid over beside me, looking a little drowsy. Moving out of the way, I let her pay for her food, wondering if having Sepo powder her was a good idea. Her stumbling over nothing was the first sign that it was, in fact, a bad idea. The second sign? When her voice was all slurred as she asked,

"Doooyu haff change fur a fife 'undreed?" I gulped and looked down at Sepo.

"Mmm… ba ba ba. Mmm… ba ba ba," she murmured happily to herself. _Oh Mew, is a sane life too much to ask? _What a rhetorical question. Lorell swayed, and I gripped her arm tightly, trying to steady her.

"Y-Yur a granbulllll," she slurred at the woman, gripping the tray tightly with her hands.

"I dun't car' whut I am, hunny, just pay me yer dues." Lorell blinking at her sleepily, I decided then that a Red Toros was in order. Grabbing the caffeine drink, I pushed another bill at the woman before guiding Lorell away to the competitors' table.

"Soph-a-loaf! Over heres!" Candi called, waving me over to a part of the table. I led Lorell over and pushed her onto the bench, popping the lid of the Red Toros. Marika and Cali joined us within a few seconds. Marika looked worried, pointing to Lorell, then making a motion of drinking a bottle.

"Drunk?" I asked, and she nodded. "I hope not." Lorell swayed again. "I suppose it makes sense, though."

"That's not good," Cali commented softly. Candi poked me in the arm.

"Hey, Soph-a-loaf, what does 'segregated' mean?" I choked a little.

"You mean, you yelled that without even knowing what you were saying?" She giggled in response.

"It sounded so good though! Didn't it? I sounded sooooo smarticles!"

"Yurr a silly goosh!" I merely pushed the drink into her hands.

"Drink up." She stared at the can, then tried to drink from the opposite side of the hole. Liquid spilled over her dress.

"I's wet," She observed, prodding it lightly. I looked around at everyone else.

"I swear, if I knew that Sleep Powder made people stoned, I wouldn't have-"

"STONED! What does that mean, Soph-a-loaf?"

"Nothing good, m'kay?"

"Then Santa's not gonna give Stoned any pwesents! He's gonna get coal in his stocking!" Marika flapped her hands, as if trying to fan herself.

"Yeeeesh, 's summur!" Lorell said, slopping more of the drink on herself. I narrowed my eyes. Gripping her wrist, I brought it up to her mouth. The opened up obediently, and I poured the Red Toros down. Lorell gasped and spluttered, then sat up ruler-straight. "Woah. That tastes _awful_."

"Good," I said, setting the empty can down. "You aren't drunk anymore."

"Drunk? _Drunk_? How in Mew's name would I get drunk?" She asked, looking as though her dignity had been injured. "And why is there Red Toros all down my dress?"

"Toros! I love toros! They have horns like this!" Candi put her two pointer fingers on top of her head, imitating horns. "And they go quack!" Marika shook her head sadly, and Cali was looking horrified.

"How does her partner put up with her?"

"Oh, it really isn't all that hard, once you get past the obsession with sugar, shiny things, and her general insanity," I told Cali. "And the way she seems to think that campfires have light switches."

"But they _do_ Sophieee! It's like a BEEEEG treasure hunt to find the light switch! They make it fun!"

"HEY! Don't ignore me!" Lorell said, voice rising dangerously. "What happened? If you don't tell me…" She let the threat dangle.

"Okay, fine. You were yelling at one of the lunch ladies. Then you started screaming, and you wouldn't stop. So, I had Sepo Sleep Powder you," I shrugged like it was no big deal. "And you started acting like I had given you a shot of heroine."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa. You seriously did that?" I couldn't believe she'd be so skeptical.

"Yeah."

"You suck."

"HEY! New girl isn't very nice!" Candi pouted, popping a sugary something into her mouth. Lorell ignored this.

"And Clera let you get away with it?" She continued, giving a confused look at her clefairy. "But…"

"You were on a rampage…" Cali muttered. Lorell bit her lip as Clera offered her a pacifying berry. I didn't say anything as I stabbed my salad with the plastic fork, feeling awkward. Lorell was chewing in silence, Marika was shaking her head at our solemness, Cali was trying her best not to draw attention to herself, and Candi was trying to figure out the difference between ketchup and mustard.

"They're just so… similar!" She continued to say, whilst squirting the ketchup and mustard onto her tray. "They have the same bottle, the same… bottle, and even the exact same bottle!" I suppose that's where the similarities ended. I guess it was kinda funny, watching her never come to the conclusion that they were, in fact, very different.

"Hey, Candi," I asked abruptly, "Where's your partner?" Candi flashed me a smile and shrugged.

"She's probably searching for the meaning of life, Soph-a-loaf! But she's a silly goose, because Candi already knows it!" Every person's eyebrows rose.

"And that would be..." Lorell and I asked, and Marika put on a curious expression.

"Forty-two! The answer to life, the universe, and everything!" No one said anything for a long minute. And then? Everyone was still quiet, picking away at our lunches.

When everybody had finished, we went back to the dorm building, Candi bidding us a noisy goodbye, hugging everyone of us.

"I love you, and you, and you, AND you!" She said as she did so. "Bye byes!" After a pause, Lorell noted,

"You know, I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know our names."

"Yeah. I guess she just loves everyone," I said, leaning against the wall. "Which is not scary at all." Cali opened the door to the restroom and exited, leaving Lorell, Marika, and I.

"Hey, wait-!" Lorell started, holding up a new set of clothes and looking after Cali. "I need to- Oh, never mind." Marika went over and clapped her firmly on the shoulder. Lorell smiled slightly as Marika pointed to the pokéballs at her waist. "Good idea," she said softly, releasing Vesta. The pony nuzzled her, whinnying softly as Clera produced another berry.

"Why can't you guys be like that?" I asked my crew, who answered with the uttermost sweetness,

"Rui bon ne saba," (Because I'm cooler than that.)

"Bulba! Sa sa poo doom!" (Because your leg tastes good!)

"Bo na." (That's a suck-ish reason.)

"Doo doo poo." (So? It's still a reason.)

"Bone cu…" (You're such a retard.)

"Can you guys shut up?" I asked. "How about we go train. That's not a question." I looked over at the other two. "We're gonna head out for now." They nodded, and I walked out, hoping that there was a gymnasium, or something.

The fact that large bulletin boards weren't advertising what the buildings were was going to be a problem. I ruled out the middle building (or the mess hall) and the glass domed building. The dorms were out, too. Which left me with approximately seven buildings to check out. I bit my lip.

"Any ideas, girls?" I asked them, and Rui was quick to respond,

"Cubo, sa bo." (The building on the far edge.)

"You know that because…"

"Sa cu." (It smells like sweat and socks.)

"I guess that would be the gym, then." I broke out into a light jog as I moved toward the building. Like the rest of the school, it looked like state-of-the-art architecture. Lightly whirring air conditioning systems and fresh sweat-towels along one wall. It looked like it was used sparingly.

A heavily muscled man with his hair in a ponytail looked up from the weight bench.

"Who're you?" He asked, surprised.

"I'm one of the competitors… Is it okay if I use this place for a bit of training?" The look of surprise hadn't gone away yet.

"Er… Yeah, I guess," he mumbled, as I gave a short,

"Thanks." I know it's not the best idea to work out right after a meal, but I couldn't stand just sitting in the dorm like some… Seth person. The first order of business was the treadmill. Both Sepo and Rui needed to work on their running abilities. After they evolved, using me as a transportation vehicle wasn't gonna be an option.

"Doo?" (Whazzat?)

"It's a treadmill. I'm gonna put you on it, and you have to run, okay? You're each gonna do it, no exceptions. I'll run, too," I said, placing them both on a treadmill and lowering the gripping bars, just in case. Setting neither of the treadmills very fast, I watched to make sure that they knew what to do. "After a mile, you're done, okay?"

"DOOM!" (MEW! What have I done?) Sepo squealed, quickly biting onto the bar to prevent her from slipping.

"Bone." (Sissy.) I rolled my eyes at the pair of them, and stepped onto my own machine. About to set it, I noticed a little piece of metal with the caption,

"Place plastic covering on and bite for music." Impressed, I picked it up for a closer look. A web of circuitry was visible, crisscrossing the surface. There was a small dispenser for the plastic covering. I couldn't believe it. How could the students neglect a gym like this? Numbskulls, the lot of them. I slid on the plastic and flicked the "On" switch. It started to vibrate, and when I placed it between my teeth, music started to play in my head. Shocked, I almost spat it out of my mouth. Then I started to smile. Almost like I was high, the combination of vibration and pulsing music in my head, unheard to the rest of the world.

Feeling considerably more happy now that I was in my element, I turned on the treadmill and began my run.

But a few minutes later, a far bigger surprise came. The doors slid open to reveal the last person I would have expected to come.

"Seth?" I asked, more surprised than Sir Muscles-with-a-Ponytail. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

Oak rapped the blackboard with the ruler.

"Now, what I'm about to tell you is of utter and dire importance," he said, staring around at everyone. "And if you don't listen, you will FAIL!" Respectful silence greeted him once again. "Now, today's lesson will cover _honesty_ and _loyalty_." Swishing his lab coat around and whacking the blackboard once again. "Because I know how hard it is for some-" The door to the room creaked open and his favorite grandson stood in the doorway. Then again, Gary was also his least favorite. Note the fact that Gary was –now hold on to your hats, folks—his only grandson.

"Gramps!" The boy yelled, one hand remaining on the door. "There you- Um, exactly what do you think you're doing?" Oak gave him a haughty look.

"I am trying to teach a class here, Gary. Would you mind waiting outside?" He said, sounded forced and stressed.

"Look, Gramps, I don't know what you're playing at, but those are _stuffed animals_." Oak scowled.

"Hey! They have feelings, too!" He hugged his clefairy doll protectively. "Now, Sweetums, check on my tofu, okay?"

* * *

***Author's Note* … What fun. A filler. I take all this time to update, and I give you a filler. Seriously, go ahead and kill me. I feel really bad. On the bright side, I was able to introduce some OCs! Or one, at least. **

**Calysta/ Cali belongs to Ki-Nee-Chan! I apologize if you are out for the count after the latest _Belief at Dawn_ chappie. **

**And even better news: _Unseen, Unheard, Unfelt_ now has 200 reviews! Thanks so much to all of you, and a special thanks to Lolli-S, creator of so many awesome and unique OC fics, for being the 200****th**** reviewer! **

**_Belief at Dawn_ is a MUST read. You probably have skipped this portion on my A/N. That's depressing, seeing as you're missing out on tons of epic scenes. Just keep that in mind. **

**Synergetic Sins WILL be updated soon-ish, just that everyone was away for large chunks of the holidays. Sorry for the super long delay. But we'll never stop it short. It's just too much fun :)**

**Well, if you have forgotten… Check out our forum! There's TONS of stuff to do. A crazy amount. There's lots of really cool authors that post and we have a fun time. So come one and all to a happy place. No drugs necessary. **

**In the next chapter will be more Seth vs. Sophie arguments and a certain relative of our favorite lazy flirt appears. So you have that to look forward to :)  
**

**Until then, you know the drill. Read, review, and be happy. **


	24. Chapter 23: Enter: Auntie Sana

_**Chapter Twenty Three: Enter: Auntie Sana

* * *

**_

"What are you doing here?" I stammered, spitting out the music-thing. "This is where you _exercise_." He rolled his eyes at me.

"I know that," he snapped. "But, uh, Sandshrew wanted to train." My look was skeptical.

"Really? You _sure_ about that?" He snorted.

"What else would I be doing here?" I shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe you've found the girl of your dreams, and you wanna get a six-pack, or something?" He gave me an exasperated look, which cleared up quickly.

"Good idea. If I actually _felt_ like it. And if working out wasn't for exercise freaks." Sandshrew had spotted Rui and had scampered over.

"Bo no…" (Oh Arceus. Not you again.) Rui groaned, but continued to run.

"Sa shrew, na sand…" (My sweet Rui, your eyes are like… something pretty.)

"Na cube." (Way to ruin any romantic effect, sand rodent.)

"POOOOO!" (Trainer! Help meeeeeee!) Sepo wailed, stubby legs almost ready to give out from the strain of running. I was still staring at Seth, trying to place the feeling that something wasn't right about what he was saying.

"See something you like?" He said with an infuriating smirk. My eyes narrowed evilly, and I stepped off the treadmill. "Oh, Arceus damn it," he mumbled as I punched him. "Next time, I'm wearing a SWAT outfit." And of course, that image was just too much. Seth, in oversized body armor, traipsing around and tripping worse than Candi while trying to flirt.

"Well, Seth," I gasped. "For the first time, I can actually… say that you… made my day."

"Happy to help," he mumbled, and Sepo wailed again,

"POOOOOOO!" (TRAAAAAINEEEEER!)

"C-Coming," I wheezed, and stumbled over to where she was barely managing not to fall off. I checked the pedometer. "Aw, you wuss. Barely even two-thirds of a mile." Nonetheless, I turned off the treadmill and she collapsed gratefully.

"Ba bul…" (Ah… Sweet relief…) I sighed through my nose and turned to Rui.

"What about you?"

"Ru san bone!" (I would be loads better if you made this sand rodent go away.)

"Seth, control your rodent," I said.

"Control your dinosaur," retorted Seth.

"I told you to first."

"I'm older."

"I'm smarter."

"I'm hotter."

"Says who?"

"Says every girl in Kanto. And a few from Hoenn and Johto."

"You know, you're argument would be so much more convincing if you weren't a lump of blubber."

"Excuse me?" He asked, looking oh-so-hurt.

"Couch potato."

"Exercise freak."

"That's more a compliment."

"No it's not. Not in my book."

"And your book just matters _so_ much."

"Finally, an intelligent comment."

"Funny, Slakoth Boy. I'm not the one up trees all the time."

"Why do you always use that argument?"

"Because it's effective."

"Pf! No it's- okay, fine. It is." Neither of us said anything.

"So, really. What are you doing here?" Just like me, returning to the some long-forgotten subject. Seth sighed.

"I'm really training Sandshrew, m'kay? Like I've said before, exercising is strictly for exercising freaks."

"Guess I can't argue with that…" I took note of his apparent relief that I had dropped the subject. Rule number one of winning arguments: Use what you can from past events against a person. "What kind of training are you going to do?"

"Er… I don't really know what's here," he said sheepishly. "What do they have? What is all this machinery?"

"You're hopeless. You know that, right?"

"Just as hopeless as you are in terms of your love life."

"Love life?" I gave a derisive snort. "I'm thirteen. I don't need one of those."

"One is never too young for love," he said, staring off into the distance.

"Like you would know that, Mr. Flirt-'til- you- drop."

"Got me there. Are you going to explain or just continually insult me?"

"I don't know. It's kinda fun."

"Typical." I glared at him, then said,

"Fine. These are treadmills. You run on them. Those are the weight benches. You lift weights on them. Those are the toilets. You go pee there."

"No duh. I meant those other things." He pointed to a large collection of gymnastics equipment.

"That's for insane people who love to bend their bodies to the verge of snapping in two," I informed him, speaking from two years of gymnastics experience. "It's loads of fun if you enjoy that kind of thing." I quit for similar reasons.

"I'm sure Sandshrew will enjoy it. Oi! Sandshrew! Ready for some back-breaking, sweat-making, blood-spilling-"

"Wuss," I interjected. "Anyway, you ready for some weights, girls?" Sepo groaned and waddled stiffly toward me.

"Doo…" (Trainer, have I been bad?) I rolled my eyes and patted her head.

"No… This is just part of me being your trainer. You do want to be able to have a stronger bite, right?"

"BA!" (YESH!)

"Alright, this is all part of the process."

"Ba, doom pa pa!" (Thank you Trainer, my faith in you is restored!)

"Ba bo? Rui cuuubone." (Hm, how did that other girl put it? Laaaame sauce!)

"And you wonder why Sepo's my favorite," I retorted.

"Bone." (Liar.)

"Shut up." We walked over to the weight benches. "Rui, you're just gonna use your arms. Sepo, mouth or vines." I picked them up and put them on the bench, handing Sepo the five-pounder and Rui the eight. "Okay, just do ten reps."

"Ba…" (But it's _heavy_.)

"That's the idea." I sighed, and plopped down on my own bench. Wondering what I would do with Cupcake, I picked up my own weight.

"Hey, Sophie!" Seth called, "Is Sandshrew supposed to be doing this?" I looked up. Sandshrew was propelling himself in circles using only his arms on the pommel horse, occasionally looking over to see if Rui was watching. Naturally, she wasn't.

"No, you never use gymnastics equipment for anything vaguely athletic." He glared.

"You know that's not what I was asking."

"Yeah… Sorry. Anyway, yes. That is what he's supposed to be doing."

"Ba… Poo… Doo!" (Argh… Feel the burn, feel the burn!) Sepo was grunting over in the corner.

"Bo… Nebo!" (Shut up and actually work!) Rui snapped. I rolled my eyes at the pair, breathing evenly.

"Alright, Vulpix, Ekans, I want you to-" A girl with pale brown, frizzy hair colored with red streaks walked through the door, stopping short at the sight of Seth. "Well, hey. It's my little nephew," she said, grinning at him in a superior manner.

"Sana," Seth noted grimly. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder as Sandshrew growled viciously at her two pokémon.

"I'm actually trying to get stronger, instead of sleeping," she replied coolly, looking around. "Or trying to impress a girl." I let my eyes flick around. Yup. Only other girl here. But "Sana" was probably referring to some outside girl. I continued to lift the weights.

"Hm? Girl? Which girl? There's plenty of those in this world, believe it or not."

"Trying to dodge the subject? Typical Sethie-poo." At this, I couldn't hold back a snicker, nearly dropping the weights.

"Shut up, Soph-a-loaf!" He yelled over at me. Sana giggled a little.

"Awwww… You even have a cute wittle nickname for her." Seth took a deep breath.

"Well, at least I can get a girl. Unlike someone."

"She probably doesn't want to get a girl, Beth," I called over, setting the weight down. Sana smiled appreciatively.

"Hm… I might take back my thoughts from earlier. She actually has something remarkably similar to a sense of humor." I rolled my eyes at her words and walked to a door labeled "Pool". "Then again, she is walking away embarrassed…" I snorted and waggled Cupcake's pokéball.

"Name's Sophie. And I have a magikarp to train." I looked over at Seth. "That will soon be capable of whooping your team. Keep up the training, girls, I'll be back in a bit." The last sentence I added on for Rui and Sepo's benefit. "And _don't _slack." With that, I pushed open the swinging door to the pool, ready to force some exercise out of Cupcake. On second thought, I would probably never be ready to execute the annoyance-inducing job.

The door swung shut behind me, shoving the sounds of bickering—aunts and nephews, was it?—away, with a final,

"I'm _older_ than you." So, add to growing list of weirdness: nephews that are older than their aunts. Absentmindedly tossing Cupcake's ball up and down in my hand, I peered into the water. Noticeably free of any sign of use. Huh. At least there was still water. Shrugging, I pressed the button and released Cupcake into the pool. He promptly looked dead as he floated belly up.

"Funny," I said, rolling my eyes. "But we gotta work. I don't like your half-ass attitude."

"Kaaaarp." (Deal with it, punk.)

"Don't give me any sass." I scowled at him as he slowly righted himself. "I want you to evolve and kick butt."

"Maaa… Kaaa…" (But I don't _feel_ like evolving.) He complained, floating on his side.

"Dude. Seriously?"

"Aaaarrrrrrp!" (I'm too lazy. Takes _way_ too much work.) I rolled my eyes at this.

"What if it was like a life or death situation, or something?" He closed his eyes in thought. Or maybe he had just fallen asleep. After about forty-five seconds, I was fully prepared to decide on the latter.

"Makaa… Karrp," (Huh… In that case…) he said slowly. "Arp." (I guess I would force myself to…) I smiled triumphantly.

"We better prepare you in case of that." He looked alarmed. "Give me some laps." Cupcake hesitated, and I coaxed, "You don't want to kick the bucket, right?" And what do I get in return? A nice, little catnap from my favorite fish. This called for a different tactic. Again. "Fine, whatever you want. Just don't whine to me when you're on the brink of death," I said and turned on my heel, walking out of the room.

"-your aunt." Right where I had left them, arguing. "You need to respect those of higher status in your family." Seth just rolled his eyes, obviously trying to remain cool and calm.

"You use the same argument over and over. And over. _And_ over." He gave a cocky grin.

"At least I have good arguments to use." Lightning fast with the comebacks. I might have liked this girl, if not for the slutty crop-top with "HOT" written in big, bold letters. I know I shouldn't judge on appearances, but guess what? I'm human. It's just one of those annoying factors that come with the package. And Sophie no like sluts.

"Pf. Hardly. You can only recycle a bad thing… Well, actually, you can't recycle those at all."

"Huh?" Sana asked, trying to process what Seth's metaphor was supposed to mean.

"And obviously, due to my superior intelligence-" I snorted, unable to take it.

"This coming from Slakoth boy, tree climber extraordinaire," I interjected. "Who flees so bravely at the sight of a cubone on a sugar rush." Seth turned his glare on me.

"Look, that cubone of yours is damn scary after it has sugar." I held up my hands.

"You can hardly blame me for that. It's not like I gave birth to her or anything." He gave me another look.

"Can you not interrupt? We're busy," he decided, with an infuriating air of dismissal. I smirked.

"I take it that's just your way of telling me I won that very short bout of argument."

"No. It isn't. I'm just busy."

"Don't be a liar, _Sethie-poo_." Emphasizing that very special nickname, I walked over to the weight benches. "How ya doin'?" I asked, peering over the top of their weights at them. Sepo looked up and gave a short, spluttering wheeze.

"Po… Poo!" (Funny… Funny face!) She gasped, dropping the weight. I raised an eyebrow. "DOOM!" (THERE IT IS AGAIN!) I sighed through my nose and went over to Rui.

"What about you?" Wordlessly, she looked up and nodded once, continually pushing up the weights.

"-gotten better. Your comebacks don't suck as much as before." Sana was noting with interest. "What have you been doing? Buy _Arguing for Dumbasses _or something?"

"I've just… Had a lot of practice." His eyes flickered over in my direction.

"Oooh! Lover's quarrel!" She giggled. "Seth and S- Wait, it's Sophie, right?" I rolled my eyes at her, handing Sepo back her weight. "Okay, Seth and Sophie sitting in a tree, kay-"

"Ugh… You can't be quiet, can you?"

"-ess, ess, ay, en, gee. First comes-" Alright, I know if I wasn't the one involved, I would be laughing pretty hard. As it was, I just decided to check on Cupcake. "-marriage, then comes a mini-Seth in the baby carriage!"

_It's going to be a long day._ I decided with conviction, wishing that families weren't such a pain.

That night as I slept, another dream came slinking my way. What better way to spend my night than watching weirdness unfold? Don't make me list the millions of possibilities.

* * *

_Em stood before me once again. _

"_Oh, not you," I groaned, vaguely remembering that whenever she appeared, my dreams were weirder than usual. She growled a bit. _

"_Respect!" She snapped at me, flicking tails in a disgruntled fashion. "What have I always told you?" _

"_Uh… Don't step on your tails?" She snarled at this, so I tried again. "Whenever petunias turn into wailmers, you know it's time to reevaluate the situation?" _

"_You weren't supposed to remember that," she mumbled. I started to smile, but she snapped immediately, "But that's not the answer I'm looking for." My dream self pondered this, thoughts foggy and vague. _

"_Hm… You know, dreams are a really bad place to do this. I can hardly think right now," I half-complained. Em wordlessly tossed me a can of Red Toros. "Okay. That was awesome and kinda weird at the same time. Where did this come from?" The ninetails rolled her eyes impatiently at me. I popped the lid and took a drink. "Huh. That's weird. It doesn't taste like anything."_

"_Because all that seems to be true isn't necessarily."_

"_Necessarily what?" _

"_True, numbskull!" She yelled, fire gathering around her. _

"_Wow," I said, impressed. "Those are some kickass flames you-" _

"_Holy Arceus, why do I even try?" Em sighed. "Well, believe what you like. I'm leaving."_

"_Bye!" I waved cheerfully, reminding myself of someone, though I couldn't place who. The dream abruptly shifted. A glorious field of wheat, perfect with little pink berry trees of some sort. "Hey, aren't I allergic to these things?" Humongous sneeze. "Wow, this dream sucks."

* * *

_

***Author's Note* Whoop-dee-doo. Another filler. Sorry 'bout that, guys. Well, Seth has an auntie :) Sana Styles belongs to Money Stax and we will be seeing more of her in the future! And what's this? Another dream? Oh, gasp! Too bad Sophie is still oblivious to everything. **

**Anyway, I'm super sorry about the slow update. I had the chapter ready, but I just didn't have the time to upload. And I'm also going to be gone on a trip, from the 27****th**** through the 4****th**** of February. Which will make updates even **_**slower**_**. **

**So, Kanto hosts Trial Virtual, but what is happening over in "Belief at Dawn"? A lot more life-risking situations, that's what. Their trial includes DEATH and DESTRUCTION. Kinda. Sorta. In any case, it's really intense **_**and**_** there's tons of funny scenes! It's an AMAZING story, and if you don't read it… Well, it's your funeral. **

**Synergetic Sins will be up and running soon, and I have a message for yomaster (or whatever he's changed his name to)**

**Yomaster: Though I would very much like to read your work, I have no idea what you've changed your name to. This makes it impossible for me to find your fic (and even if it was possible, I have no intention of plodding through countless other fictions just to find one.) **

**Well, read, review, make Silver Leafx happy, and she'll give you another update before she leaves. Sound good? **


	25. Chapter 24: A Quest, a Quest!

_**Chapter Twenty Four: A Quest, a Quest!

* * *

**_

"-ophie. Sophie! Hey! Sophie!" I groaned and my arm waved sluggishly around. I was too tired from dealing with _two_ Corrals'. Or Styles? Whatever. They're related somehow. "Wake up!"

"Mmph," I said into my pillow, hand groping for something to throw. "Go 'ay."

"No! You have to get up! The next trial is going to start soon-" I sat up at once, wide awake in an instant.

"Mew, you coulda said something," I grumbled to Lorell, grabbing a fresh set of clothes and running to the bathroom. Through the shut door I could hear the muffled sound of Lorell commenting to the two "mutes", as I had started to think of them. No doubt talking about my selective sleeping and waking habits. Doing all that quick morning stuff that people do, I walked out again within ten minutes. They all stared at me. "What?"

Lorell just shrugged and said, "Just fast, that's all. Especially considering it's only seven."

"Oh joy." I rubbed my forehead. "You woke me up _just_ to- Wait. Why did you wake me up, again?" Lorell grinned.

"Time to eat breakfast! _Then_ the trials are at nine!" I stuck my tongue out childishly at her.

"You suck." Marika frowned and stroked her chin, unsure of whether I was just teasing or serious. I think the stuck-out tongue worked to my benefit, seeing as she just shrugged and hugged me to say "Good morning."

"I still can't believe you," I growled at a smiling Lorell.

"What?" She asked innocently, linking arms with me.

"Yeah, like you don't know."

"Oh dear, look at the time-"

"No clock, genius."

"-we better get to breakfast!" Lorell finished, ignoring my voice of reason.

"You know, I really ought to scream. Just to let you know how I feel," I grumped at her.

"Then you get Sleep Powdered by a certain bulbasaur."

"Sepo only listens to me."

"Don't count on it." She smiled benignly. I grumbled to myself, trying to remember that I needed to get along with her in the trials. "Now, we have to eat!" Lorell half-pulled me from the room. _Huh. It's almost like roles just got switched._ I thought, remembering dragging Candi out of numerous rooms. _Except that Lorell isn't so grumpy, snarky, and whatever else describes me. _The other side of me promptly responded, _In other words, she isn't as awesome as I am. _Yeah, you could say I've gotten a big head.

* * *

"SOPH-A-LOAF!" _Oh crap._ A big tackle-hug made me stagger, still not awake despite the fact I had been walking around for about two hours.

"Good to see you, too, Candi," I managed weakly, comparing her to a growlithe who had gone without its trainer for "too long".

"Oh my Arceus! It's been, like, foreeeeeever!" She squealed, squeezing me tighter.

"Yeah," I croaked, eyes flickering over at the curious competitors sticking their heads out of the Sims. "Uh… Go to Sim? Partner?" I gasped and wheezed when she released me.

"YESH!" She ran off, but quickly did an about-face. "Remember, Soph-a-loaf, forty two!" She winked and bounced off.

"Uh huh." Lorell and I shared a look. "Let's… go," I said, taking a few steps forward. My partner blinked and quickly followed.

"Do you really travel with her?"

"Candi? Yeah," I said slowly. "You kinda get accustomed to her… Until she does something else." Lorell nodded slowly.

"You know, you really aren't as evil and stuff as you appear at first sight." I gave her a look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped, and she giggled.

"Figure it out, 'genius'." I rolled my eyes at her and stepped into the Sim.

"I hate when I rub off on people." The interior of the Sim remained the same, for the most part, but instead of a dorky headset, there were a number of robotic pieces. "Ugh. I'm gonna have to figure this out?" Looking through the plastic divider, I saw Lorell looking as dumbfounded as I felt. Great, I'm stuck with more technology. What fun I'll have breaking it.

Long minutes passed as I stared at the mechanical pieces, feeling as stiffness was setting into my legs. So it was a bummer when the Sim turned on abruptly, making me stumble and fall over the chair.

"Arceus, you'd think I'm drunk or something," I mumbled to myself, looking up at Mr. Important's face on screen. _Now that Candi mentions it, a vampire doesn't seem so farfetched- Wait. Yes, it does. You really are drunk, huh? _I shook my head vigorously.

"Welcome back, winners of the first round!" He gave us another one of his too-large smiles. "This round will differ from the past one."

"Yeah, it better." Talking to someone who can't hear me. Definitely drunk.

"You will be controlling a pokémon from _within _the pokémon!"

"Huh?"

"The following video will show you how to properly put on the equipment." _What is this, an airplane safety video? _"Best of luck to you!" Another smile, and the image switched instructions. Similar to the safety programs on the airplanes, a woman in a tight bun was giving directions in a horrifyingly sweet voice. _What fun this will be._

About fifteen or so minutes later, I was feeling even more dorky than ever. So much equipment sat uncomfortably on me, and I had no idea what the hell it was for. I just had to trust Mr. Important that is was actually used for something other than some candid camera things.

Some piece whined miserably and I felt an odd jerk in my gut. I glanced down clumsily wondering if my bagel had given me food poisoning. But I didn't see my stomach. I was looking down at dirt. _Huh?_ That just about summed up everything I was feeling.

I looked around. Forest on my left, mountains at my back, and open plain everywhere else. Opening my mouth to say something snarky and sarcastic in nature, I nearly keeled over in surprise when all that came out was, "Waka!" Holy crap.

"Fable!" Immediately I was on the defensive. A bone whipped out from my hand. I put two and two together.

"Marrrrrrooooo!" I yelled in frustration, translating nicely into "WHAT THE HELL?"

"Cle, clefable?" A clefable was chirruping.

"Wa." (Explainations would be nice. Can't understand a thing you're saying.)

"Fa?" _Go figure. They don't tell us who we're facing, where our partners are, what we're supposed to do, and why we've turned into our powered-up starters. Wait. Damn, I hate when I answer my own questions. _Yeah. Starters. Clefable equals Lorell. Bone equals marowak equals Sophie. Yay. I'm smart.

"Wa… ka ka arowa!" Clefable/ Clera/ Lorell just stared at me. I frowned. Well, time to do things Marika style. I put on an ugly expression, half way between a frown and a scowl and made a series of grunting noises. I proceeded to whack myself on the back of my head and scowl at my "assailant."

A lightbulb went off over Lorell's head. Literally, a little lightbulb flashed and disappeared. She clapped her hands Candi-style.

"Fable! Clefable!" She giggled and there was a long moment of silence. _Are we supposed to go on a quest for the mystic amulet, or something? _A boom of thunder echoed over the forest. How appropriate. This was followed up nicely by an eerie howl. Even better.

Lorell poked me on the arm.

"Fa!" She squealed excitedly and pointed at a sign. _How is it that I always miss these things? _I thought as I looked up at the sign.

_**Second round: Eliminate opposition on the quest for the sacred amulet.**_

_Dude, seriously? _I read on.

_**Only kidding.**_

… _Come ON._

_**You just have to eliminate the two other competitors. Should be fairly obvious. **_

Mew, even _signs _have attitude these days. Lorell and I exchanged looks. Now would be the time for dramatic scenes. Turning to follow the howls, we were beaten to the punch. A manectric and a fearow came bursting out of the trees. A sudden realization struck me in the face. _How the heck am I supposed to fight? _I ground my teeth, annoyed. _As they say, when in doubt, throw a fistful of nastiness at the problem at hand. _So what if no one says that?

"Cle…" She said, looking a little resigned. I shrugged. The other two were approaching quickly and I decided on the best course of action: A bloodcurdling yell. Too bad marowaks aren't cut out for those things.

Like some intense (but still cliché) action movie, we met at the middle of the field after I had been forced to waddle awkwardly on my stubby legs. Thunderheads were following our opponents and I vaguely hoped that a lightning bolt would fry the fearow.

Lorell had paused and was waggling her fingers, looking directly at the fearow. Good. I'd deal with the manectric. Gripping the bone firmly, I looked the dog over. Sparks were flying everywhere. Pf. He was going down.

As I started to move forward, an odd combination of speed and weight filled me. White light eminated from my very skin and I raced faster and faster toward my target. _Double Edge._ My lips curled a little. If I remembered correctly, Rui had the ability Rock Head. I wasn't even going to feel the impact.

But the manectric had other plans in mind. It darted forward and grabbed me in its jaws. _Stupid dog_. I growled and thrashed around instinctively. Filthy thing merely bit down harder, having anticipated my reaction. Yeah. Thrashing was going to get me nowhere. Ha. Yeah, right. Thrash was a good move. No sooner had I thought the words than my body was lashing out with bone, leg, and arm.

It dropped me in surprise as I continued to whale on it. _Punch, whack, kick, punch, kick… _I was chanting in my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lorell squirting water at the fearow. Which appeared to be divebombing me. Oh joy. The manectric noticed this and flashed me a smirk before bounding away. I quickly turned and gave the fearow a thwack to the beak. It didn't even swerve. _Oh crap. _The bird knocked into me, executing an Aerial Ace that might've chopped my head off. Which begs the question: Do marowaks have a skull inside as well as out? Find out after the break.

"ROOOW!" It cawed as I stumbled back, nearly falling over my tail. Glaring daggers at the fearow, I wished that I had learned Ice Beam. Yeah, waiting for me to say "To my surprise, a beam of ice shot from [insert place where Ice Beams shoot from]" Too bad my luck just isn't that amazing. Or maybe because life isn't that cool. Either way, I'm pretty screwed.

"MAR!" I screamed, the raw sound ripping through my throat. But it turned out the pain wasn't much at all. I guess pokémon have to be able to withstand lots more pain. "Ka!" Okay. I need to get rid of these guys. If only I could communicate with Lorell. As it was, she was having enough trouble of her own. The manectric was attempting to rip her apart with its Thunder Fang. Well, we can't have any of that.

The fearow swooped above.

_Bonemerang! _I yelled in my head, feeling that same surge of power course through me. The bone soared from my hand (or paw?) and cracked Lorell's attacker right on the bum.

"Wa," (Oops). I snickered and the bone wheeled back around for another go at the startled dog. Sir All-Mighty-Fearow was divebombing me again. Huh. I looked up at it, wondering who it was. I shrugged inwardly and scrabbled at the dirt. Just had to use Dig… I could attack the manectric as well as dodge this thing. Satisfied with my brilliant plan, I dove beneath the soil. And just to prove how awesome I am, I snatched my bone right before entering the dirt. That's Matrix status right there.

I listened in the dim tunnel. The muffled sound of slapping and a variety of different moves being used was all I could hear. Thinking that pausing and waiting for the right moment would be a good idea, I attempted to stop attacking the dirt. But… I couldn't. The weird thing about these moves was that they were almost impossible to halt halfway. Everything had to be executed to its fullest.

The tunnel was quickly getting longer as I hit softer soil, my paw/ hand things working away.

My tail twitched. Something was making cold slither down the tunnel. I shivered a little, but kept digging. The temperature was noticeably dropping. _Ice Fang can't do this… and there's no way fearow can learn ice moves… _I smiled grimly. Lorell must have unleashed another Metronome. I really had to get a pokémon that could learn that. Clefairies are always using all these really good moves because of it. Example A: Ice Beams freezing us as we ran from Mt. Moon.

_Arceus, does it always take this long for Dig to be executed? _I grumped, still working away at the dirt. I was just waiting to burst out of nowhere and KO a pokémon. There was really no point to this, huh? Wait, was that a sliver of light? Hah. Nope. Just my imagination. Screw this.

But I did burst out through the soil a few seconds later. I slammed into the underbelly of the manectric, making it fly onto the snow. Yeah, frigging snow. Lorell and her Blizzard equalled KOed fearow and a happy Sophie/ marowak. Skidding over the fresh ice, I passed a solidly frozen fearow.

"Aro?" (Is it dead?) I asked myself, looking at both the dog and bird.

"ARRRROOOO!"

"Kaka…" (Apparently not) I grumbled as I was tackled to the ground. "MA!" (CHEATER!) Too bad my yelling had no effect on the thing. _Die! _I screamed in my head, whacking at its head with my bone. _Whacking things with sticks is so underrated. _

"Maaaaaane!" It screeched, snapping the offending object in two.

"MA!" (YOU CHEAT!) I slapped him firmly on the snout. As if that was going to do anything. It grinned smugly back at me, opening its jaws a wee bit too wide for my liking. "Marowa?" (Dude, why is your mouth blue?) Lame question at the wrong moment.

"Dum dum da DA!" Lorell crowed happily and careened into the electric pokémon. She waggled her finger at it, full of sass and attitude. "Fable, fa!" Manectric looked over, distracted. Lorell winked and gave it a sharp Low Kick. Yeah. Metronome officially kicks ass.

"Nrgh!" It grunted and I jumped up off the ground. _DIE!_ I crunched my way through the snow to give it the final blow. Raising the bone above me, Lorell hopped in front of me, shaking her head no.

"Ar…" (What now?) I growled at her despite the fact she couldn't understand me. She shook her head again. _Arceus, this isn't frustrating AT ALL. _

"Clefa!" She clapped her hands and the sky darkened a bit. Giving her a look, I sat down sulkily as meteors rained from the sky. _Show off… _Okay, so I was a bit jealous. She was making meteors fall out of the sky and creaming the manectric.

Another tug of my gut, and I was stumbling around the interior of the Sim, clanking around in all the equipment. Ripping it off, one thought was firm in my mind. _Thank Mew I'm not a pokémon.

* * *

_

Oak had become paranoid. Extremely paranoid. So paranoid, it wasn't even funny. To Oak, at least, though other people were finding it quite amusing. And that couldn't happen, could it? And so here Oak was, getting to the source of that problem. It all boiled down to one, offending factor. Ninjas.

The one solution to his problem resided within that great place known as the internet. Yes, indeed, was the one and only way to go. But there seemed to be an issue. The computer was refusing to turn on, and Oak had tried every single way to make it wake up. Yelling, pleading, tea, and even pressing the power button didn't work.

"Oh, woe! Thou scurvy, artless lewdster! Thou lumbering, unchin-snouted pignut!" He wailed, hands pounding against his copy of Shakespeare. "You suck serious balls!" Oak finished, wiping a speck of spittle from his chin. The misdreavous drifted in, timely as ever, looking over the situation.

"Misdre…" (Hai look, an unplugged computer, a retarded professor, and a- Oh my Arceus- I so call that tea.) Oak looked up sharply.

"Now is NOT the time to inquire about the TV remote, Johnson!" He snapped, translating the ghost wrong as per usual.

"Fffwa!" (Get a life, geezer.) The ghost coolly wafted over to the tea and took a grateful drink, promptly spitting it back out onto the computer. "GYA!" Horrified, the misdreavous spluttered and spat everywhere.

"Did you…" Oak glared daggers. "Just drink my Health Monster green bean juice?" Well, no wonder the concoction was the stuff of nightmares. Mustering all its remaining strength, the ghost shrieked,

"RE!" (Screw you!)

* * *

***Author's Note* Congratulations! You made Silver Leafx happy! And she didn't give you a filler to boot! **

**Thanks to Renmin for giving me a hand with this OP! Genius idea! You win my "Genius of the Day" award. **

**Make sure to have a look at my poll (about the pairings for this story) and participate in Whit's and my forum! We're about number forty two in the forums listings. Hey. Forty two... Ring a bell, anyone?  
**

**I'm still accepting OCs, no Sues, yada yada… You all know what I'm talking about, you little smarties. And the opponents (I know I didn't mention their names) were:**

**Kain Andyle, the manectric, belongs to an unnamed, anonymous reviewer**

**Ileah, the fearow, belongs to Ileah**

**You most likely WILL see more of them! I try not to have them just appear and disappear. I mean, you didn't even get to meet them. Yes, I am in a good mood. **

**Out of curiosity... I was just wondering if I should switch this story from Adventure/ Supernatural to Adventure/ Comedy, seeing as you all seem to find this funny. Just need your opinions :)  
**

**And I guess that's it. Shorter A/N than usual… I will update as soon as I can after I return (this will explain the lack of reviews… I promise to review every new chapter of stories in my Alerts first thing when I get back) I would love to come back to loads of reviews. Maybe even break the 250 mark :) Adieu~**


	26. Chapter 25: Showing Off

_**Chapter Twenty Five: Showing Off

* * *

**_

"WEEEEE are the champions, my FRIIIEEENDS! And WEEEEE will keep on FIIIIIGHTING 'til the end!" Lorell sang, one arm slung around my shoulder. "Come on, sing with me, Sophie!" I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Yeah. Because I just love singing so much," I grumbled sulking a little. "I still can't believe you insisted on doing the final blow." She shrugged in response.

"Hey, I was pulling the weight for both of us. I deserved that _epic_-" She grinned, emphasizing the choice adjective. "move. Man, those meteors were… awesome win sauce."

"What's with you and sauce?"

"Hey, don't rain on my parade." Lorell swaggering and I stumbling, we made it to the mess hall. "Mmmm! Food!"

Candi greeted us at the line, giggling and ending her flirting session with some school boy. "Hai, fwends!" She hugged both of us as Meowth followed suit. "Candi was a MEOWTH! She said meeeeewow!" She made a little claw motion with her hand.

"So, didja win?" Lorell piped up, not fazed in the least. Gotta admire that. Candi was nodding and grinning.

"With Candi as a meowth, NOTIN, I repeat, NOTIN, can stop her!" She giggled. "She had to make up for her partner's silliness. Presea's a silly goose!"

"Cool beans." The cafeteria ladies were busy yelling at each other in those weird, growly voices of theirs. Oh great. Now lunch is gonna be messed up. Frowning a little, I stood on my toes in an attempt to see what was going on. "Mew, I can't see anything," I complained as a group of tall seniors blocked my line of sight. "Humph." Lorell had gotten right to the root of the evil, slipping out of line and towards the front, where all the commotion was emanating from.

She was back within ten seconds, looking really mad.

"Apparently someone's shuckle got into the berries and _ate_ every single one." My stomach growled.

"That's… UGH!" My mind automatically went to Titty and Mozart. "Why that…" My expression must have been horrifying, Marika was shaking her head at me. She pointed to her frown, then held out her palms. _Huh? _She flipped them upside down. _Frown… Palms… Upside down? Oh. Frown upside down. Smile. Pleh… _I exhaled loudly.

"What are we going to eat?" Cali piped up from behind me, making me jump.

"Where did you come from?"

"The Battle Sim place…?" Pf. She thought I was testing her, or something. "Marika was just a lot faster about getting here…" Said girl winked at us. "But… You never answered. What are we going to eat?"

"Food, I hope." Snarky answers equal dirty look from Marika. You'd think she's my mother, or something.

"Aw' right! Lis'n up, all of yer!" One of the ladies barked. "We 'ave a berry shor'age, so the lot of yer 're going ter have to deal 'ith myst'ry meat." The groans that echoed through the building seemed to make it tremble.

"Ugh… What if we're vegetarians?" Some girl behind us called.

"It AIN'T real meat, 's just fact'ry processed," at this the woman paused, frowning. "Stuff." Oh yeah. Now we _really _want to eat.

"Is it just me, or does your stomach not feel like having any food?" Lorell whispered, putting her tray down. I gulped, trying to force a lump in my throat down.

"Yeah…" I managed hoarsely, noticing that a lot of other kids were doing the same as Lorell. I had no plans to be any different. Dropping the tray, we quickly exited the cafeteria along with a number of other kids. Who knew there were so many veg-heads in this school?

Walking back into the dorm lobby, Lorell grabbed my arm.

"Oh. My. Arceus," she breathed. "Sophie…"

"What?" I asked, already realizing that skipping lunch wouldn't be helping my attitude.

"We _have_ to play Dance, Dance Revolution!" She tugged me over to the console.

"Why do they have this stuff in the lobby of a school dorm?"

"Stop complaining about the wrong things at the wrong time." Lorell busied herself turning on the game system. "Oh, I haven't played this in way too long." A bunch of Japanese looking names for things flashed up on the screen.

"So, what is it with these games and miniskirts?" I asked as Lorell stepped onto the dance pad. "They always have these girls with ridiculous hair in miniskirts."

"Again, stop complaining."

"It wasn't a complaint. Just a friendly question," I countered, watching as she went through the song, moving quickly from one arrow to the other. After a couple minutes, she stepped off, beaming at her perfect score.

"Just like riding a bicycle," she told me, pushing me onto the center of the mat. "All you gotta do is look at the arrows and move your feet the right way!" Right. So simple. Riding a bicycle my butt. "Sophie! You're just standing there! Play!" I gave her a look.

"Why am I doing this again?"

"Because you have to try it at some point in your life." She had started stepping on the arrows, selecting a song.

"I don't even know any of this music."

"That's cause it's Japanese, silly," Lorell muttered, stepping back. "There! Have fun!" My mouth felt dry, something that always seemed to happen whenever I tried something new. Shifting my feet, I stared at the console hoping that I wouldn't crash and burn. At least this activity had nothing to do with luck. Arceus knows how messed up my luck is.

The first arrow flew onto the screen. Up. I tapped my foot on the "Up" arrow. Nothing happened.

"What the heck?" I yelled, glaring at the offensive object.

"You gotta stomp harder than that!" Lorell added helpfully.

"Oh, _now_ you tell me." I had missed handfuls of the arrows in my fury at the one I had missed. "Ugh!" I stomped angrily on each of the arrows, missing more than I hit. Lorell and Cali (Mew, she just keeps appearing) were giggling. At least they found me entertaining. Hah. Pisses me off…

The song was drawing to an end, and I saw something that made my heart skip.

"AH! _Two_ arrows at once?" I yelped, realizing that stomping on both arrows at the same time –barefoot, no less- was going to be difficult.

"Don't mess up!" Cali called. _The only time she bothers to say something that isn't in a mumble is to taunt me. _I took a deep breath. _Three… T- Never mind. _I jumped and stomped hard on the arrows. And missed.

"Crap." Sighing and shaking my head, I stepped off the game. Lorell clapped me on the shoulder.

Furrowing her brows in a no-doubt serious manner, she said gruffly, "Well done, soldier. Well done indeed."

"Oh, shut up." She merely smiled in response.

"At least you didn't fail. See? You got a 'D', not an 'E'!"

"And we all know what a big difference it makes." Lorell giggled at my sarcasm.

"Sophie, Sophie, Sophie… Get happy pills or something." _Is she telling me to get drugs…? _I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to go tr-"

"NO!" She snapped at once, grabbing my arm. "Chill out! You just went training yesterday!"

"Well, I _am_ a trainer… Could that have anything to do with it?"

"You're so _sarcastic_." She said the word as though it was fouling her mouth. _I don't see what she has against it… _"And will you just hang out for a bit? I want to know you well enough so there aren't any more communication issues. This morning was a pain…" Marika giggled, wiping fake sweat off her forehead and shaking her head. "Yeah, I know… Miss Sign-Language…" The other giggled once again. "But anyway, Sophie, I want to chill today, and you're the only one of us that bothers to speak on a regular basis."

"Woo," I muttered but stay put, finding a nice resting spot against the wall.

"Hey, Marika, your turn." Lorell graciously nudged the girl toward the evil machine. Unlike me, however, Marika jumped on excitedly and selected a song at random. She was literally bouncing with excitement.

When the song began, she was almost as bad as I was, her feet too light on the pad. But she looked like she was having the time of her life. Yeah, she was getting super into it, not even bothering to hit the right arrows, just breaking out in dance moves.

People were starting to notice, especially when Lorell cheered, "You GO girl!"

"Oh yeah!" Even Cali was getting excited. I started to smile. It was inevitable, really. It's one of the weird thing that's hardwired into human heads. Things like that are just… they just make you want to yell and, well, cheer. Everyone in the lobby was drawing closer, grinning insanely at the dancing Marika.

"Yays for random dancing girl!" My special companion yelled from the crowd. "You rock socks! _Clean_ socks!" A couple people near her gave small laughs.

Marika struck a pose as the game gave her an "E". As if that mattered to the rest of us. We clapped and Lorell tackled her in a hug.

"You. Are. _Awesome_!" She squealed as everyone left quick as they had come. "Oh my Arceus, I think you just about made my _year_!" Marika grinned up, not complaining as the taller girl was squishing her. I walked over, smiling widely as well. Marika looked up me pointedly and cocked her head.

"Epic," I replied simply. "Frigging epic." I sat down on the dance mat and Lorell let Marika up from the floor. _I'm… In a good mood? Heck, this feels pretty good. I should be happy more. _Cali was looking pretty happy as well, not as withdrawn as before. "Arceus, I don't even know how to describe it." Lorell gave me a satisfied smile.

"Aren't you glad you stuck around?" She asked smugly. I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, fine. I'm in too good a mood to argue right now."

"Oh no!" She gasped, making my head snap up in alarm. "You… In too good a mood to argue?" I should have known… "The apocalypse is coming!"

"WHERE? He owes me a triple fudge sundae!"

"Hello, Candi," I said, not bothering to turn around.

"Hello, Soph-a-loaf!" She replied, popping her head over my shoulder. "Sup, dawg?" She giggled at her own use of slang.

"Living, breathing, talking. Nothing new."

"Aw… You're such a silly goose." Candi patted my shoulder and "spotted" Lorell. "Hallo! How are yous?" Apparently, the ecstasy of watching Marika dance hadn't worn off.

"Pretty good," she replied. I jumped as something in my belt pouch vibrated.

"What the-?" I unzipped the offending pocket. "Huh?" My E-Poké was buzzing. "Mew, I should have read the instructions… One second." Quickly exiting the lobby, I sat against a hallway wall.

"Yo!" A voice came from the laptop the moment I opened it. "What's up, Soph?" Blinking, I stared at my cousin.

"Uh… The sky?" I said weakly. Eric rolled his eyes.

"Lame. So overused. But seriously," he craned his head around as though he could see more of my surroundings if he did so. "Where are you?"

"At, uh," I frowned, trying to remember the name. "Poké Tech, I think."

"OH!" The laptop's speakers sent a harsh wave of feedback at his shout. "For the Trials, right? How've you done?"

"Good. We haven't lost yet, so…" I trailed off then changed subjects. "Anyway, is there a reason why you called?" He nodded and grinned.

"Well, first off I'm going to challenge the Elite Four in two weeks-"

"Show off."

"Shut up. And there's a party in Vermillion, you know, the one for all the upcoming trainers. The S.S Anne thing. I got an invite and it said I could bring some other people so, yeah. Are you travelling with anyone? I left before I could see."

"Yeah. Three others. You think you'd be able to bring all four of us?" Though parties in Vermillion weren't as difficult to get into as those in the high-rises in Celadon, it still wasn't a cake walk.

"Pf. Hell yeah. I _am_ about to beat the Champion, after all."

"You have such a big head."

"Don't I?" We shared a laugh. "Anyway, it's on the tenth. The Kanto Trials should be over by then." Footsteps coming down the hall. Subconsciously, I pressed against the wall to allow them easier passage.

"Sounds good to me. I th-"

"I knew you were messed up, but talking to your laptop? That's a whole new level of crazy."

"Go away, Seth," I grumbled, giving the boy a look. "I'm busy."

"Talking to your laptop? Oh yes, I can see how that can keep you busy."

"I'm not talking to my laptop. I'm using the video phone. Then again, I don't know if you'd understand that with your level of intelligence." He ignored me and peered down at the screen.

"Who's that?" Eric and Seth said at the same time.

"Well, Eric this is Seth. A kid I'm traveling with." I looked over at Seth. "And that's my little-"

"Hey! I'm about to be Champion!" He cut me off, complaining.

"-cousin," I finished, giving Eric a look.

Ignoring this, Eric piped up, "Is he your boyfriend?" I choked, and from the sound of it, Seth had done the same. "Don't be shy!"

"Eriiiic," I groaned. "Seriously! His Sandshrew is in love with Rui, that's all." My cousin just smiled.

"Whatever you say…"

"Okay, you know what? I'm done here," I snapped, shutting the lid of the laptop. "Why," I rounded on Seth. "Does everyone think we're dating?" He shrugged.

"I supposed they figure that with a hot guy like me-" A punch from Sophie. "I don't know, okay? Arceus, is punching your solution to everything?"

"You gotta admit, it works." He rolled his eyes.

"Violence is not the answer."

"Don't go Buddhist on me, you little liar," I retorted.

"You know, we always end up arguing. I don't get it." We both took a long moment to ponder this.

"For once, you actually make a really good point," I muttered, frowning a bit. "That _is_ the pattern. Huh." I drummed my fingers on the lid of the computer. "So, we're going to a party, I guess."

"What?" He gave me a searching look. "Party? Where? When? How did you get an invite just like that?" He snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.

"Cousin… Prodigy… Equals party…" My hand moved in lazy circles as I said that. "It's that S.S Anne trainer's party." Seth gaped.

"Seriously? Dude…" He shook his head in wonder. "Your cousin has _connections_." I merely raised an eyebrow. I don't know. I hadn't really heard anything about the S.S Anne. Really should read more _**Poké~Idol**_, or something. I placed the laptop back in its pocket.

"So… How was being Sandshrew?"

"I felt like… like… a sand rodent." I laughed a little.

"That's kind of ironic in a way." He thought about this for a second then laughed.

"Oh yeah! I get it now!" Seth tapped his head with a finger. "Rui's cute nickname for him."

"RU-SA!" (EXCUSE ME! It is not a "cute little nickname", it's an INSULT!) She barked from my shoulder. "Bo…" (Cute nickname indeed…) Seth gave her a guilty shrug.

"My bad."

"Hey, you apologize to her and not to me?" I threw in a fake pout for his benefit. He smiled.

"Expect any different?" He asked.

"That sounded like a challenge."

"Not really."

"Yeah, I guess not." At that moment, Mother Electabuzz popped up from nowhere (as per usual) and held out berries to us. "What are these for?" I was suspicious, yes, but I also wasn't so used to the whole pokémon-handing-me-sweet-berries deal.

"Kzat! Za, za kla!" She purred, and I glanced up at Seth.

"Translate, Beth."

"Eh, after you called me that? I don't think so," he said with a smirk.

"Come _on_! Please?" The last word felt foreign in my mouth.

"Well, because you said please... She said something like 'Because you admitted you were wrong.'" I raised my eyebrows at the little electabuzz. Warily, I took one of the yellow berries.

"Thank you?" About to put the berry in my mouth, there was a high-pitched shrieking. Seth and I both jumped up.

"Oh no..."

"Not..."

"MOZART!" We yelled, diving to the floor as the crazed shuckle made her appearance.

"UCKA!" She squealed, snatching all the berries with those creepy tentacle appendages. "Muahahaha!" _Great, the world now has an evil laughing, crappy-singing, berry-snatching shuckle. I'm gonna kill Titty. Speaking of Titty... _I looked down the hall.

"Where's Titty?" Seth questioned, voicing my thoughts.

"Tsk, tsk. Irresponsible," I sighed, mockingly shaking my head. Mozart decided it was time to sing. The horrible whistling and screeching pierced my ears like a red hot poker. "ARGH!"

Clamping our hand over our ears, we screamed, "TITTY!" Oh yeah, that's right, you can't hear anything over the "singing." Yay, we're screwed.

"Rui! Kill it!" I pointed over at Mozart. No cubone started pummeling her into the ground, though. I glanced over in confusion. Rui was clutching her head (which seemed to have pieces of confetti stuck in it again) and growling in pain. "Okay then. Sepo! You kill it!"

Said bulbasaur was curled up in a little ball, rolling back and forth and moaning, "Buuuuuu! Baaaaaaa!" (Ooooooh! The pain! The paaaaaaaiiiiiiiiin!) I winced. Never leave a job to retarded bulbasaurs. I kicked Mozart.

"Did she just... stop?" Seth asked in awe. The glorious silence... was so... glorious.

A growling sound made my eyes flicker down to the offensive pokémon. The sound intensified. _Hm... I wonder why I'm getting a feeling of foreboding... _Thoughts sarcastic, my brain was wondering whether to run away screaming at the moment. A face-full of a nasty liquid decided for me. I kicked Mozart again.

"Stupid little..." I muttered beneath my breath as Seth started to laugh. Wiping my face angrily with the back of my arm, I flicked the green stuff at him and his precious pants. "Take _that_!" He jumped.

"Hey! Watch it!" I ignored his shouts, wiping and flicking in a steady rhythm. "My _pants_!" Bullseye. "You'll pay for that!"

"Oh yeah? Bring it, Slakoth!" Amidst all the muck-slinging, we failed to note the shuckle slinking off. Either that or our minds were so set against ignoring her existence, they blocked her out.

Back and forth the goop flew, along with frequent 'DIE!'s.

"E-Excuse me?" Another voice interrupted our fun.

"TITTY!" We yelled, rounding on Sir Timid. "Take care of your stupid shuckle!" Seth and I pointed at the space Mozart used to occupy. Big surprise, she wasn't there.

"W-What a-a-are you talking about?" He stuttered.

"Ugh... Now your pokémon is probably out terrorizing innocents," Seth muttered, flicking extra globs of shuckle-acid off of him.

"Mozart? S-She may have h-her issues, but..."

"Stop right there. She's a thingy from hell and you know it." Seth and I were both glaring at Titty. He shrank away.

"S-Sorry..." He mumbled, and looked away. "When are w-we going t-to leave?"

"I assume when everyone has lost. You know, just an idea," I said, rolling my eyes. "Feel free to leave or whatever. We're all still in the game." Titty didn't answer, just started walking down the hall, calling for Mozart. Seth and I watched him for a while, and didn't really say anything after he turned down the hallway.

"OH. EM. AY! SOPH-A-LOAF!" Candi came hurtling down from the other direction.

"Candi-" I began, but she continued on.

"I hear we're going to a PAR-TAY!" She squealed, attaching herself to my arm. Seth and I exchanged looks.

"And how did you find out?"

"Bethie told me," was the immediate response.

"And when did I have time to do that? I was ruining my pants-"

"EWWWW! Beth had an accident in his pants, Soph-a-loaf!"

I cleared my throat, and said decisively, "I think it's nap time."

* * *

"_**RIN! Don't. Step. On. The. Tails!" Em snarled, pulling her nine tails even closer in. "I'm trying to mess with an already fucked up life, and two negatives keep making a positive." She glared at the light-window, whose picture spluttered and flickered pathetically. Rin sat down sulkily in the shadowy material that made up the majority of In-Between, the realm of those not quite in the portal to the after life. Humans knew it as the Distortion Realm. Of course, they were very wrong, as the sign at the border clearly stated, "Welcome to In-Between." **_

"_**I'm bored," the sneasel whined. "Every time I try to look in the glass, you say I'm stepping on your tails!"**_

"_**Because you are!" Was the irritated reply. "Arceus, this little human of mine is more of a pain than you are." For a few moments, there was silence as Rin glared at Em's back. "MOTHER MEW! WORK ALREADY!" This outburst made the shiny sneasel jump three feet in the air. **_

"_**What? Things still not going your way?" Rin half-sneered. **_

"_**No, of course they aren't. This stupid thing is showing a bayleef dancing the fucking cha-cha and chasing the green lights from his Mega Drain!" **_

"_**Seriously?" At first Em thought the sneasel was sympathizing. "You can do both those things at once?" She ignored Em's look. "Epic."

* * *

**_

***Author's Note* Wow, sorry for the late update. I got back home at around three in the morning last week, looked at what I had of this chapter and realized that I didn't have it all written down. Of course, I was all ADD about writing for a while, so entirely my fault (though I don't see how it could be anyone else's...) **

**Thanks to Yuri n' Chuka for being review number 250! Lucky you, you timed your review just right :)  
**

**And yay for it not being entirely a filler! At least you know what they're going to do in Vermillion aside from gym battles. I mean, haven't you always wondered about that mysterious party the NPCs would always talk about on the S.S Anne? I know I have. And you also got to see a bit more into the personalities of Em and Rin. Just as a reminder, Rin belonged to Sophie's mother's tutor. **

**The "Presea" mentioned by Candi at the beginning of the chapter belongs to NightmareSyndrome.**

**The bayleef mentioned by Em is an actual OC, belonging to pokemaniac1234  
**

**I'd also like to say that in this story, understanding what your pokémon says is completely normal, Sophie doesn't have some super special Sue-power, if you haven't picked that up. It's just a matter of time.  
**

**BELIEF AT DAWN! I know you're sick of me saying this, but I must say it now: we have events planned for the future that _you will not understand if you don't read both of the stories!_ So read up before they get too long.**

**(God, I keep re-editing this) CyberWolf101's new fiction, Color Blind, is a must-see. I can't say more than it's amazing, funny, and completely original. So have a look at it.  
**

**Please visit the lovely forum on my profile page! Meeting other authors is awesome. Some of you may be shy, I know that, but NO ONE at Whit's and my profile will bite your head off. We make sure of that.  
**

**That's it for now, so I'll give you my little holiday rant. Hope you have a happy President's Day, Valentine's Day, start of Winter Olympics (yes, that is a holiday in my opinion), and-- if you're super special-- happy Chinese New Year! Year of da tiger! Hear its roar! **


	27. Chapter 26: The Sad Reality

_**Chapter Twenty Six: The Sad Reality

* * *

**_

Next morning (yes, I am avoiding telling you about my utterly _normal_ rest of the day) Lorell shook me awake.

"Sophie!" She hissed, completely ruthless in her shaking. "You have _got _to see this!" Pf. Like I was falling for that one. I rolled over in response, pressing the pillow into my head. "No, seriously! A guy's scyther is _attacking _him!"

"Ghng..." I growled, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Come on! Pretty please? Wait, what am I saying? This is _Sophie_ I'm talking to." Lorell grabbed the sheets and yanked, sending me tumbling out of bed.

"POOP!" I yelled, jerking my head away from the floor. "You!" Pointing an accusing finger, I swayed dizzily in a head-rush and grabbed the headboard. "Okay, what's going on again?"

"Some guy's scyther is just _whaling _on him, and he's trying to _wrestle_ with it!" Lorell was almost gibbering with excitement and trying to tug on Marika, Cali, and I all at the same time. "And last I saw, that ditto, tangela, and pikachu squad-"

"There's only three of-" Cali started.

"was on the scene!" Lorell finished, ignoring a voice of reason and logic. I frowned, trying to remember.

"Who- Oh! The ones that were handing out the dental whatevers?" The girl nodded at my realization.

"Yeah, I assume so." We were now out of the room and stumbling down the halls. A few other people were running out as well.

"Uh... Lorell? How come you woke up and saw it?" Cali asked. Ah, when this was over, I was going to miss her quiet reasoning.

"It was part of a prophesy, darling," Lorell answered absentmindedly. "Nah, just the yelling and the 'SCYE! SCYTH! THER!'" Marika raised an eyebrow and put up a peace sign, then a motion like a crazy ax-man. Yeah, those two go together real well. She then shook her head.

"Oxymorons usually _are_ bad ideas." I agreed, but apparently that wasn't what she was trying to say. Peace sign... Peace (no, really?) Ax motion... Blood? Chopping heads? Chopping trees? Death to hippies? War? No war?

"OH. MY. ARCEUS! I figured it out!" I yelled in excitement. From the looks I was getting, they must have already figured it out. "Yeah, um... Peace, not war... Ha ha... I need more sleep next time."

The not-quite-dawn light made every outline fuzzy and sapped the colors from the world. We hop-ran over the damp grass, trying to avoid as much of the chilly dew as possible. The cries of the fight were getting louder as we ran, until they seemed to reach a climax. It was at that moment that the pair came into view. The four of us slowed in unison.

"Oh my Arceus..." Lorell breathed.

"Yeah, got that right." A shirt-and-shoeless boy had his scyther pinned to the ground, hands on its wrists. It snarled and ripped itself free, slashing down with an arm. The boy rolled away, right into the path of the opposite scythe. There was a collective intake of breath and a vine shot out, wrapping around the slicing appendage. The tangela had him firmly held and the pikachu sent a Thunder Wave along the vine to paralyze the scyther.

It dropped and one voice rang out, "Aw, man. That was hardly an epic battle for domination." Then the click of a phone shutting. "Dude, next time get a kick in, or something." The shirtless boy just gave the one speaking a look and returned the scyther to its ball.

"Actually," I said, pushing the ditto away with my foot. "that boy had a point. It was kind of unexciting." I received three different disbelieving looks. "What?"

"You're so weird. The guy almost got chopped by his own pokemon, and you're complaining about the lack of action?" Lorell said, and I pursed my lips.

"Well... I think I'll just go back to sleep." Cali started to giggle a bit. "What? What's funny about me sleeping?"

"You make the _funniest_ sounds!" Marika joined her giggling, nodding to show she agreed with every word. "It's like a combination of whistling and purring." I gaped.

"Is that even possible?" I asked, trying to imagine the sound. I gave it a shot. "I can't do it now." But the three of them were cracking up. One of them eventually caught their breath enough to make raspberries, which sounded remarkably like the noise I had made just a few seconds before. I started to laugh with them. Who can resist some toilet humor?

* * *

This time, Lorell and I were completely confident when we walked back to the Sim. It seemed like the worst had already happened. They'd already turned us into our starter. What else could there be? The building was much emptier than it had been the first day, only about twenty or so pairs remained. Lorell was humming "We are the Champions" again. Oh yes, confidence was the word of the day.

This time, the Sims held a video-game remote. I flinched as I looked at it. I was never very good at video games. Sitting down, I looked over at Lorell, who didn't look as happy as she could have.

There was nearly no wait, Mr. Important coming up almost instantly.

"Hello, my dear winners. Congratulations for getting this far! You are mere steps away from victory!" He said and fanfare blared from speakers. "This trial will be the most difficult by far. Based off of the old-fashioned battle video-game, we give you the most basic and most frustrating challenge!" Trumpets blared and the screen changed.

[BATTLE! Sophie and Lorell VS. Calysta and Marika!] Three pokéballs lined up next to each of the little sprites made to look like each of us. But my stomach had just given a very nasty twist. The odds of battling against them... Then again, there were about twenty pairs left... I gritted my teeth. Life sucks.

[Marika and Calysta challenge you to a battle!] The sprites slid on screen standing on little circles. [Marika sent out SAKURA! Calysta sent out PLUSLE!] The corny animation of them sending out their respective pokémon made me want to smash the screen in. Little speech bubbles appeared by the pokémon's mouths.

"Your clock will soon need to be rewound, for death drops without a sound." Well, that's a creepy little cherrim right there.

"Woah, this ground feels weird *poke*." Was the plusle's speech bubble. I gave a small snort of laughter.

[Lorell sent out CLERA! Go, RUI!] Now our little sprites threw little sprite pokéballs.

"*Wink* Alrighty, get ready to lose!" -Clera.

"WTF? Why am I all pixelly?" -Rui. How adorable.

Now some options popped up: Attack, Item (which was ghosted out), Change Pokémon, and Forfeit. Alrighty then. I moved the little stick and selected Attack. Four moves. Four fudging moves. That's all there was. Then there was this little thing called "PP" by each one.

"Pee pee? What the heck?" I asked the world. "They don't come with little directions, or anything?" Of course not. I was taking way too long, two of the other pokémon making impatient remarks. Between Bone Club, Bonemerang, Head Butt, and Leer, there wasn't much room for creativity. At least Rui had a very large advantage over Plusle. So, I selected Bonemerang and sat back, waiting to see what would happen.

[PLUSLE used HELPING HAND!] A weird image of glowing green hands slapping together. [PLUSLE is ready to help foe CHERRIM!]

[SAKURA used MAGICAL LEAF!] Rainbow colored leaves flew at Rui, splashing her different colors, then making her sprite flash.

"ARGH! I can't _move_! Why did you make me run if mah feet are glued to the #!^&%# ground!" A weird bar marked "HP" (whatever the heck that stood for) was depleting itself. [It's super effective!] It went into the red zone and the most annoying beeping started.

"Rui is low on health. Rui is low on health. Rui is-"

"Shut _up_!" I yelled, and for once, technology listened to me. "Thank you."

[CLERA used SING!] Musical notes flowed from Lorell's pokémon to Cherrim, and Z's issued from the plant. [SAKURA fell asleep!]

[RUI used BONEMERANG!] A pathetic little bone flew to hit Plusle twice. [It's super effective!] The "HP" bar was still dropping and soon all color had vanished. [PLUSLE fainted!] The little sprite dropped off the screen.

"Yay~ We're winning!" Clera "said."

"My feet!" Rui could be such a downer sometimes. [Calysta sent out PONYTA]

[SAKURA woke up!]

"What the hell?" [SAKURA used PETAL DANCE!] Petals swirled and hit Rui. [It's super effective! RUI fainted!] Rui dropped off screen and I was given the option of which pokémon to use next. Cupcake was still out of the question.

[Go! SEPO!] My favorite little bulbasaur popped up. [CLERA used DOUBLE SLAP!] Okay, now the animation for this was by far the weirdest. Little purple circle-things, meant to represent slaps no-doubt, framed Cherrim's sprite. About half of the bar was depleted. [PONYTA used FLAME WHEEL!]

At least this animation was similar to the real thing, with flames that slowly grew as they went around the pokémon's torso. Now Sepo's bar was slinking downward. I growled and clenched my hands on the remote. It stopped in the yellow zone. Thank Mew for that.

[SAKURA used PETAL DANCE!] I gulped, then sighed in relief as the cherrim attacked Clera. Then I felt guilty for being relieved. Clera's "HP" bar looked on the brink of going to yellow.

[SEPO used POISON POWDER!] Nothing happened. [SEPO's attack missed!]

"What is this crap?" Yelling at machinery was becoming a habit.

"Trainer! I failed yoooooouuuuu!" Ah, Sepo, this is why you are both my favorite and my least favorite.

[CLERA used ENCORE!] A shower of confetti in a spotlight over Cherrim. Utter bull.

[PONYTA used STOMP!]

[SAKURA used PETAL DANCE! SAKURA became confused!] At least they didn't seem to be attacking Sepo anymore. On the downside, the awesome Clera had just fainted ([CLERA fainted!])

[SEPO used POISON POWDER! PONYTA was poisoned!] Good. She didn't miss this time. [PONYTA is hurt by poison!]

[Lorell sent out VESTA!] Her ponyta appeared, her speech bubble consisting of only a determined face.

[VESTA used FLAME WHEEL!] Finally, we eliminated that cherrim. More of those commands flitted across screen. [PONYTA used AGILITY!] The ponyta ran around in a circle and little zigzags ran up the length of its body. This game was officially creeping me out. [PONYTA's speed sharply rose!] Why did everything have exclamation marks?

[SEPO used LEECH SEED!] Massive seeds flew from Sepo ("Ohhh! I was upgraded!") and landed at ponyta, where they sprouted.

[Marika send out SUZY!] Oh crap. The killer froslass. Then the battlefield turned green and little balls of light went from Ponyta into Sepo, depleting the former while healing the latter. [PONTYA was hurt by poison!] Okay. Now Sepo just had to live when both of the opponents had a type-advantage.

[SUZY used BLIZZARD!] I scowled as the words [SEPO fainted!] Appeared on the screen. This meant I had to send out Cupcake. I was getting a very bad feeling.

[PONYTA used TAKE DOWN!] An image of her slamming into Lorell's Vesta. [It's a critical hit!] _What_? I stared as the bar lowered and lowered. Knocked out in a single move. There was no way I could even be happy about the recoil damage ([PONYTA is hit with recoil!]) And if I remembered correctly, her last pokémon was a feebas. Rare, but not all that strong, or even pretty for that matter. I looked through the glass at Lorell, who was wiping sweat palms on her thighs.

[Lorell sent out SHARA JR.! Go! CUPCAKE!] Probably two of the weakest pokémon. That's all we had left. Add to that how the only move Cupcake could use was Splash... We're officially screwed.

[SUZY used OMINOUS WIND!] The screen darkened and animated wind whirled around both of the pokémon, bringing the bar down to yellow.

[PONYTA used TAIL WHIP!] Zigzags heading downward patterned the weak fish. [SHARA JR's defense fell! CUPCAKE's defense fell!] Now for our most fearsome attacks.

[SHARA JR. used TACKLE!] The ponyta barely took any damage. [CUPCAKE used SPLASH! But nothing happened...] Oh happy day. There was the whole poison message, and all that, then the next attack came.

[SUZY used OMINOUS WIND!] Well, this was it. I looked sadly at the screen as both of us fainted. We're out. [Sophie and Lorell have been defeated!] Some confetti over Marika and Cali's heads and the door behind me swung open. I exited and looked at Lorell, who didn't look happy at all. Sighing, I gave her a hug as Marika and Cali walked over.

"I..." Cali was lost for words, obviously shocked at the luck of the draw. "I guess this is it?" I wet my lips and nodded.

"Good battle, though. You had some awesome strategy," I said, not wanting to look like a sore loser. "Do you guys have phones?" All of them said some form of 'Yes' and we busied ourselves with scribbling numbers on each other's hands.

"Prizes! Prizes! Consolation prizes!" Mr. Important waltzed down the way. "Ah, yes! You two there! Girl in the purple and girl with the blond hair! I have something good for you," he said, rummaging in a very large bag. Lorell and I exchanged looks and shrugged. At least we got something out of it. "For you," he pulled out a plastic bag filled with blue pokéblocks, "some amazing quality blue pokéblocks!" Lorell's face split into a smile as she grabbed the bag and turned to Marika and Cali.

"See these? These mean next time we battle, you are going down at the hands of Shara Jr., milotic!"

"And for you," Mr. Important said, handing me a TM. "a TM Fireblast! Perfect for your team!" I gave him a look.

"I have a cubone, a bulbasaur, and a magikarp. None of them can use this to its full potential."

"Ho hum! I hope you all had a good time!" And he walked away. Lorell grinned.

"Isn't life just amazing?" She asked, teasing.

"Oh yes. Simply lovely. So... I guess I have to go now. I'll call you sometime?" Marika nodded fervently and smiled, pointing to it. "Yes, I'll smile more. Keep on dancing, girl."

"I still can't believe that system..." Cali said quietly, and a familiar squeal reached my ears.

"I _knows_! Meowth totally beat the system, so I got disqualified! Can you _believe_ it?" Candi hurtled into view.

"Beat the system? How?"

"Meowth went into a fwenzy when we were up against a shiny, shiny steelix. So she attacked three times! Total pwnage!" The four of us stared.

"That's... not logically possible," Cali said.

"Then I said it was all because of segregation and they needed to take happy pills. So I don't think that turned out so well. Anyway, where's Beth? And Titty?" I shrugged.

"Are you ready to leave?" I asked her, in between giving last minute hugs.

Candi nodded, and then, as though she had just noticed all the others said, "Hiya! Want some gum?"

* * *

Finding our other companions was much easier than I had anticipated. Seth was sleeping underneath one of the campus trees while Titty was freaking out and running in circles around the same tree.

I thumped Seth on the head to wake him up, and asked Titty, "What's up? Why the tree-orbiting?" He shuddered and clutched his head.

"Why? I-I'll t-tell you why! D-Did you r-read those health w-warnings?" He stuttered. "They're h-horrendous!" Seth and I raised an eyebrow.

"Health? _Health_? Are you... A health freak? In league with the evil gum snatchers?" Candi said, walking right up to Titty and glaring. "If so, press four for more information."

"What the heck?"

"Y-You could have g-gotten-" And Titty was off, listing a bunch of scientific sounding names. As he finished, we all blinked at him.

"Not to burst your bubble, but do you even know what those are?" Seth questioned and the other just shook his head.

"They sounded k-kinda scary..."

"Scary? Nothing can frighten Candi!" She puffed out her chest and strutted around.

"Five dollars she trips," I suggested, and no one took the bed. For a good reason, too. Within five seconds, she tripped. "Well, Seth, are you still in the competition?" He flushed.

"I kinda slept through it?"

"You..." I laughed suddenly. "Okay then. Off to Vermillion!"

"Uh..." Seth said, staring at me. "Are you okay? You aren't sick or anything, are you?"

"Nope. Come on! We have a party to go to!" Seth still wasn't completely on board with everything. Then he spotted the phone numbers on my hand.

"Oh ho! What's this? Did Sophie meet someone special?" He crowed, and I raised my eyebrows and held the back of my hand up.

"There are three numbers here, Seth. _Three_. Or does Sethie-poo need help with counting?"

"I don't know. It could be like reverse-polygamy..." He tried, and I rolled my eyes.

"Right. Let's go." With that, we left the academy. Who knows, I might actually miss Dance, Dance Revolution.

* * *

Talking to Elm was either very enjoyable or a nightmare. However, today was a very good day. Elm was an excellent audience for poetry. Oak could see his student's eyes glazing over in sheer admiration. Clearing his throat, Oak began on one of his best poems: "A Look into the True Nature of Smushed Soybeans", featuring last month's tofu. But the clock told him to do otherwise. "My Little Ponyta" was starting in two hours. Just enough time to get ready.

"Oh my Arceus! 'My Little Ponyta' is starting in two hours! I need time to prepare myself mentally for it! The drama is too intense, so I _really _need to meditate. Elm, we shall have to talk again soon. I might visit Johto for a week, soon. Talk soon!" Elm shifted his head in this change in conversation. Just enough so that Oak could see the crossed katanas on the wall. Then the screen went blank as the connection was cut. "NO! Not Elm! He... He is in cahoots with ninjas! This..." He growled, running up to his room and grabbing the clefairy doll. Holding it up in the air, he yelled, "means WAR!" Pulling the doll down into a cuddle, Oak cooed, "My precious..."

* * *

***Author's Note* They just don't have good luck, do they? You'll hear more about Lorell, Marika, and Cali in the future, but for now Sophie and Co. have a party to go to! **

**The boy fighting the scyther belongs to NightmareSyndrome**

**This OP ties in with CyberWolf101's Color Blind EP (or Elm paragraph.) Credit to coming up with this OP/ EP's subject goes to him. **

**I don't know about you, but after the previous trials, wasn't this a sort of... disappointment? As the chapter title states, it's the sad reality of pokémon. Sure, it's fun, but I would much prefer the other ones. **

**Belief at Dawn! The drama and comedy is climbing towards a climax! Read, read, read before it gets too long for all the lazy people in this world! **

**And I'm sorry about the slow updates. I'm honestly ADD when it comes to writing. I keep seeing all this stuff on my computer and going "Oooooh, what's this?" I feel like Candi. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and hope you review~ **


	28. Chapter 27: Change is Good Very Good

_**Chapter Twenty Seven: Change is Good- Very Good

* * *

**_

Vermillion was the stereotypical bustling port-side city. Everything worth going to see was near the docks, the other side of town filled with schools and empty lots with a contractor's sign stuck in their center. As a result, the four of us almost ran through the northern part of town to reach the beach side. The sidewalks were all covered with a dusting of sand that crunched beneath our feet. Candi was having fun sliding around on the grit. A lot of people were taking advantage of the region's Indian-summer, the weather still so similar to summer despite the red and orange foliage.

We rounded a corner and saw a large building at the other end of the block. The Vermillion Gym. I picked up my pace, the salty air making me feel invincible. It must have had an effect on Seth as well, because he wasn't lagging like usual. There were little hand print smudges on the glass doors that Titty flinched away from.

"It's unhealthy a-and unclean," he muttered, sucking in his stomach to get away from the offending smudges. Candi squealed.

"Uncleeeeeaaaaaaaaaan!" She shrieked, running around the Gym's lobby. "STAY PUUUURRRRRE!" Thank Mew there was no one else in the lobby. The only other sound was a small TV in the corner of the room playing a Subway commercial.

"Candi, go check the bathrooms for mints, will you?" I suggested, despite my better side.

"Sure, Soph-a-Loaf!" She giggled and shot off the opposite direction from the "Bathroom" signs. Whatever. I checked the computer's schedule for the Gym challenges. It was so empty... There hadn't been a challenger since... Oh, of course. Reizu. About five days earlier.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Reizu's still ahead of you," Seth said, shaking his head in mock-disappointment. "What are we going to do with you, Sophie?"

"I was at the trials," I mumbled, though Seth had struck a nerve. I _was _getting further behind. I couldn't let that happen. That decided it. I was going to challenge the leader right now. Not like there was anyone challenging at the moment. So I typed my name into the current time slot and walked into the arena. Lt. Surge was doing knuckle push-ups on the smoothed floor. I winced as I noticed that. It couldn't be comfortable. He looked up and noticed me.

"Hey, what're you doing here? You didn't sign up." About to respond, a speaker in the wall dinged.

"Sophie En-Gee has signed up for gym battle, current time." It whirred softly and went quiet. I held my hands up. Lt. Surge smirked.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting a shrimp like you to be in such a rush." My mood blackened at once.

"And I wasn't expecting such a brute to actually have enough brains to talk," I snapped back and realized promptly afterwards that what I had just done wasn't such a smart move. He looked like solid muscle. And there was no way I could deal with a six-six giant made of hard, wiry muscle. To my relief, he gave a booming laugh. I could live another day.

"Alright, Miss Sophie En-Gee-"

"Ng," I corrected automatically. He just gave me a look.

"Don't interrupt the speech. Never, _ever_ interrupt the speech," Lt. Surge growled. I gulped and took a step back.

"Ha ha, you're gonna get squashed!" My pokédex sang out from its pocket. Someday it was going to end up in a scrap heap.

"Arhem," he cleared his throat. "My rules: No items, two pokémon that you must decide on before the battle starts, and no killing or fatally wounding my pokémon." I scoffed. No way, really? "Now, I'm going to use my raichu and electrode." He stopped, waiting for my choices.

"WOO! Soph-a-Loaf! Soph-a-Loaf! Soph-a-Loaf!" Candi chanted. I smiled a little.

"My cubone and bulbasaur." A referee popped out of nowhere. I had to start getting used to these things.

"Ready... Battle commence!" He yelled, swishing two flags in the air.

"Rui!"

"Raichu!" I grinned. Alright then. "Use Slam!" Right. I remained silent as the Raichu approached. Rui was tense, waiting.

"Trip with a Tail Whip!" I yelled. Like poetry in motion. It felt so good to be in a _real_ battle, not like the ones in the Sims. Raichu stumbled over, falling head first. But it wasn't to be beaten just like that. It did a fancy, one-handed handspring and landed flawlessly on its feet. "Bonemerang!" The other glowed and flashed forward at a command from Surge. "Headbutt!" The second the bone left her hand, the two darted at each other, Raichu faster by far. "Brace yourself!" I bit my lip, unsure whether relying on Rui's good defense was a good idea. My cubone crouched, brushing the ground, head tilted downward and ready to take the attack.

"Now change to a Mega Punch!" Both Rui's and my heads snapped up. Her bone was still circling around.

"Tuck and roll! Tail Whip if you can!" The glowing-white fist of the raichu was more than a little intimidating. Rui did something of a somersault, managing to whip her tail up and slap the underbelly of the raichu. The punch landed on the floor, causing it to splinter and wood chips flew everywhere. It was then that the bone made its way around, cracking the raichu on the skull. The electric mouse wobbled a bit. "Quick! Headbutt with Bone Club!" The excitement was evident in my voice.

"Iron Tail!" Arceus, how I despise those TM's. Raichu jumped up and its tail glowed, Rui automatically flinging her bone to try and bring the opponent back down to the ground. But the Iron Tail wasn't being stopped.

"Use Rage," I commanded. The red, glow-y outline surrounded her. "Get ready..." The tail slammed across Rui's skull-helmet. "Now tackle it to the ground!" She flung herself at the raichu, punching and whacking it, each attack getting more and more intense.

"Mega Kick!" _Next thing you know there's gonna be a Mega Spit and a Mega Crap. _Raichu's foot began glowing. It was glowing intensely, so much so that even Rui was turning white in its light. It was even starting to distort her form.

"Da da da dum DA DUM!" My dex crowed. "Guess what? Due to a certain virus, I will now be exploding. Good bye!" I pulled it out and watched as the little light in the corner flashed with growing intensity. I shrugged. At least I wouldn't have to blow it up myself. The flashing stopped. "I'm sensing your aura... WooooOOOOOOoooo... You don't seem sad. In that case, I shall continue you screw with you. Good day, gov'ner."

I turned back to the battle. And yelled. "OH. MY. FUDGING. ARCEUS!" I pointed at Rui. "You... You..." She gave me a crooked smile.

"Arowak!" She trilled. Rui was now a three-foot tall, lean ol' marowak.

"Marowak: The ground-dinosaur-lizardy-bone keeper. Known for their extraordinary ability to not do shit."

"Well, excuse you. Bonemerang," I said, looking up for a second, and then turning my attention back to the pokédex.

"This one seems to have a dislike for rodents and so enjoys mindlessly torturing them as a hobby. Evolved late because of this habit. HAH! That's what MOLESTERS deserve!" It went off into maniacal laughter. Yeah. I was really not liking this thing.

Surge was returning a fainted raichu, knocked out from the strength-boost Rui had obtained through the evolution.

"Well, this sucks mankey balls," Surge muttered, looking at the marowak.

Up in the stands, Candi heard his comment and was screaming, "STAY PUUURRRE!"

"Go! Electrode!"

"You know what I hate about electrodes? How they're just pokéballs coming out of pokéballs. Why can't they keep it simple and eco-friendly and not waste so many damn materials?" My, this pokédex was getting talkative.

"Bone Club and Bonemerang until it's out," I said calmly, doing a Seth and sitting down. It felt wonderful. Rui looked unbeatable out there, so smooth... What the heck is happening to me?

Rui was dodging and rolling away from the electrode, bone flying in a blur of motion. Electrode was getting beaten badly, and Surge knew it.

"Self Destruct!"

"Okay, why does every Gym leader resort to suicidal maneuvers?" I complained. "I mean, every single gym- DEFEND YOURSELF!" And the pokémon exploded.

"YAY! Fireworks!" Candi cheered as red lights splashed the walls. Rui had been thrown back against the wall. I flinched. The referee yelled something about my victory.

Hallelujah. Three down, five badges to go.

"Stupid type-advantages... I guess I'll clear your name with the Bureau of Licensed Flying," The gym leader muttered as he flicked the badge at me, then spotted something in the window. "Well _hello_ muscles!" He walked over and started flexing. I raised my eyebrows. "Boom, boom, fi-ya powa!" When I ruled the world, I was going to get some nice, normal Gym leaders. And maybe pry open Brock's eyes while I was at it.

After getting Seth signed up for a battle the day after next, we went to find a suitable hotel. Candi was all for the five-star, beach-front resort. Yeah, you wanna do that, you can pay for it. In the end, we found a nice B&B which was close enough to the beach to satisfy Candi. We got our keys and had a look at the rooms. Candi and I were sharing a room to save money.

"It's _pink_!" She squealed and Meowth mewed in a similar tone. How nice. Though it could have been worse, it was only a sort of coral-pink. Not like Candi's favorite bubblegum pink. In all honesty, there needs to be fewer pinks in this world.

I opened the laptop and checked my e-mail. Just something from Eric about the time and place of the party.

"Whatcha doin'?" Candi asked, popping over my shoulder.

"Checkin' my e-maaaaiiiil," I said, imitating her voice. She patted me on the shoulder.

"You are learning well, young kricketot," she said gravely, and burst into a fit of giggles. "When's da par-tay?"

"Tomorrow ni-"

"Tomorrow? Oh em ay, Sophie, you know what we have to do!" I wasn't liking that intense glint in her eye. "Shopping spree!"

"Oh, crap."

* * *

The rest of the day consisted of going down to the fair at the pier. With all the rides and stalls, I was surprised the whole pier didn't just fall down beneath the weight. But after about five minutes, that was that last thing I was thinking about. There was just too much to do. We were going from ride to ride, the only interruption bing Candi, who always took the in-between time to get a fresh cotton candy.

"I d-don't see how you st-stay thin when you k-keep eating that stuff..." Titty muttered as we stood in line for another ride. Candi laughed.

"I is flattered," she sang. "Actually, it's practically _all _sugar, so it's good for you!" At this point, we really didn't argue with her. "Soph-a-Loaf! Oh my Arceus, we have to go to over there!" She grabbed my arm and pointed to a sign. It was advertising a horsea for whoever won a spin on the wheel.

We walked right up to the man (leaving Seth and Titty behind) and Meowth slunk off in boredom, disappearing around the wheel. Candi paid the man and grabbed the wheel.

"I'm-a gonna win a horsea," she sang, and gave the wheel a hard push. "Hi-YA!" It whirled, colors blending and making it hard for me to tell exactly where the blue "You win!" wedges were. Then the wheel abruptly stopped on the blue. "Ha! I gets a horsea!" She hummed cheerily and took the proffered pokéball from the suspicious man. In my opinion, he should have questioned her. Then again, she was skipping around and decorating other stalls with leftover cotton candy. So manipulative and threatening.

Or maybe I did jynx it somehow, because the man walked up and started demanding things of Candi. I sighed windily and walked over, halting to watch a bit before I reached them.

"If you refuse to tell me exactly how you cheated, I'll call the police and tell _them_ to do it," he snarled in Candi's face.

"Tell them to do it? Don't they have enough going on in their lives without people telling them to do it?" she asked innocently. The man glowered.

"Not do _it_, do it!" he shouted, and Candi just blinked.

"Oh em ay! Looky looky!" She tried to run away and the man grabbed her arm.

"Show me your pokémon," he hissed.

"Okays!" She tossed three pokéballs into the air. "This is zubat, who is better than any pretty pony in the world. That's horsea, who I got from the creepiest man-"

"Shut up! I don't see your third pokémon, who must have obviously been used to _cheat_." Such shifty eyes... I was afraid I was going to crack up at any second. Candi was pouting.

"Just because I don't throw the right pokéball you accuse me of cheating?" She asked, looking at him in mock-disappointment. "I really, really expected better of a random stranger." She was fumbling with something behind her back. The man missed this however, and was tapping his foot.

"Where. Is. Your. Meowth?"

"Right heres!" She tossed. And whaddya know, Meowth appeared. What. The. Heck. Utterly messed up. Apparently the man thought so too, because he puffed up like a giant drifloon. Well, not to say I wasn't having fun (which I wasn't) but Candi and I had to go.

"Candi!" I half-sang, running over. "Where _were_ you?" I completely ignored the puffy-man. Candi flashed me a smile.

"Oh, around, you know. I met the _weirdest_ man, he was like _this_," she placed her hand about half-way up her chest. "big, but he _inflated_!"

"Inflated?"

"He puffed up like a biiiiiig drifblim," Candi paused, and then went on, "And he needs a shave."

"Well, that sounds pretty nasty. I know!" I snapped my fingers. "Let's get some cotton candy!"

"YAY! Soph-a-Loaf, you are amazing!" She squealed and linked arms with me. Candi took a deep breath and sang, "We're off to get some sugar, some wunnerful sugary stuff!" It took all of my willpower not to sneak a look at the man. _Soph and Co.- one, World- Three billion, nine-hundred million, and a lot of other numbers. Hey, we're getting somewhere. _"Pretty pink, pretty pink!" Candi sang happily to herself as we stood in the short line to the cotton candy. I busied myself watching Titty scream in terror as he went off the top of the roller coaster. She popped up in front of my face. "Soph-a-Loaf! I beat the system again!"

I jumped back a bit and said, "What do you mean?" Candi just giggled.

"What else do you need to know? Meowth and I beat the system!" Well, that certainly didn't sound good. Then again, I had a feeling that Meowth wasn't just looking for a rattata to chase. Oh yes, there was definitely more to Candi than sugar and blondness. Even if she wasn't blond. I guess you can't always expect things to make sense in life.

* * *

Herbeuse the bayleef was famed among the Ceedyan Community, a tucked away grove where grass-types thrived, for his unpredictability. However, today was going to be different. An irritable exeggutor had issued a challenge. Naturally, the only way to settle this was a dance off. This was Herb's time to shine. Yes, the Cha-Cha master was in the house.

The tropius refereeing the match shook his large mane of bananas and nodded to the bulbasaur acting as DJ. Setting its paw on the large buttons, there was a flash of pink light and a form fell from the sky. Everyone looked up, and one after another they pointed at what appeared to be a pink and yellow sneasel falling from the clouds.

One leafeon in particular pulled out her BlukBerri and snapped a few pictures before hitting her speed dial and yelling into it, "OH MY ARCEUS! HOLLY! Can you see what I see?" Needless to say, the flareon named Holly was not present at the grass-type gathering place. The community continued to watch her fall and spectators afterward claimed that they heard the sneasel give a short, "Shit," as she fell past them and into the earth. They also claimed this strange occurrence on bad mushrooms.

* * *

***Author's Note* Okay, I know I really have to update more, but school is a pain. A real, fudging pain. HOWEVER! Spring Break is in a week, and after this, school should be easy~ Actually, scratch that, but I'll still have a couple weeks to try and catch up to Whit... **

**AND I need to make an official announcement here for all those who didn't see the thing on my profile. Synergetic Sins: The Body, was DELETED. We did not give up, but some douche reported me. That was also the reason for the deletion of the prologue and OC form for this. Any OCs you want to submit, GO TO THE FORUM! We're actually on the first page now~ I'm so proud... *Snuffles***

**In any case, Belief at Dawn! You must read if you want stuff to make sense!**

**I'd also like to say that that poll about pairings has had a lot of responses! Thank you! By far the most popular was Sophie X Seth and Kira X Yoshi. I'm going to leave it up, but I figured I'd leave a note here for future reference~ **

**Well, that's all for now. I don't know about you, but I'm just twitching for my HeartGold to come.**


	29. Chapter 28: Familiar Faces

_**Chapter Twenty Eight: Familiar Faces

* * *

**_

The next morning we slept in, only waking when there was a sound of someone falling down three flights of stairs screaming all the way.

"'Morning, Candi," I said, yawning widely and rolling off my bed onto the floor.

"Buenas dias, Soph-a-Loaf!" she beamed. "We have a shopping day! Hope you didn't forget!" I gulped. Yes, I had forgotten.

"Remind me why," I said, walking into the bathroom to wash up.

"SOPH! Did you a-forgetta about-a the fiesta?" Oh. Yes, of course. That. I splashed cold water on my face.

"No," I lied quickly, wiping off my face. "But all the-uh- good stores don't open until later." Candi popped her head around the door.

"We must be prepa- Oh, one second," She opened the door to the hall and screamed, "I AM GANONDORF! YOU MAY NOT PASS!" and shut the door again. "What was I saying again? OH, OH, OH!" I stood there, waiting for her to say something. "Oopsies. My train of thought went choo-choo-chooing away," she "whistled" a bit, spraying spit all over the place. I gave her a look. Then again, this wasn't anything new.

"Let's change and wake up Slakoth and Titty. I'm feeling pretty good at the moment, so let's not mess things up," I grumbled in spite of myself.

Candi clicked her heels together in a salute, "Ay ay, Cap'n!" I smiled and looked over at the bed, the smile promptly vanishing.

"Mew damn it, Sepo. Stop chewing the comforter!"

* * *

Glancing over the breakfast table at Seth make me fall into another fit of laughter. Being who we were, Candi and I had decided against the usual screaming of "Wake up, dung-brains!" so we could enjoy Plan B. This included flinging Candi at room door until Seth staggers over to open it, promptly disappear, and jump him, placing hands over his mouth and hissing, "Make one sound and it will be your last." Too bad he had recognized the pop-smack of bubblegum from Candi. Therefore, Seth flew into a fury. I wish every morning could have started like that.

Candi was busying herself mushing the remains of fruit into a smiley face on her waffle.

"S-So," Titty began awkwardly, making a very obvious attempt at conversation. "Did, uh... Everyone sleep well?" Candi nodded vigorously flinging a bit of mushed fruit in the process. Said piece hit me squarely in the eye.

"Thanks a million," I flicked it off. "So. Are you two coming shopping?" My fork pointed menacingly at them. Seth rolled his eyes in response.

"Yeah. Right. Have you forgotten what gender I am? _Male_. Males no go shopping." Titty gulped and nodded in agreement with Seth.

"You're going to leave me all on my lonesome with Candi? Would you really leave me to such a fate?" _Well, that was a stupid question. _I thought, just a bit after I spoke.

"Uh... Yeah. Sounds good to me," he said, giving me an evil grin.

"Oh, screw you." How clever am I? Candi whipped out an I-Sitrus and started flicking through pictures. Giggling, she showed me a picture. "Lederhosen? Really Candi?" She turned the screen to Seth.

"This," she began "is what we will buy you and make you wear if you refuse to come shopping."

Seth paled. "That's... That's blackmail!" Candi nodded solemnly.

"And I will also prevent you from getting any gum for three weeks." She cleared her throat. "Four score and seven years from now, I hope that thou shalt not something-eth something-eth something-eth. Hallelujah!" Cue weird stares.

"So..." I said after a very awkward silence. "Doth thou giveth into our demands?"

"Like you could ever force me into lederhosen," Seth snorted, and I narrowed my eyes.

"I wouldn't... Ah... Underestimate Candi. I'm pretty sure _she_ doesn't know about the birds and the bees..." I muttered, enjoying making up excuses to make Seth do what we wanted him to.

"OH! Oh! Are we speaking in code now? How's this- Grumpy-Loafy, avoid tea time yogurt at all costs!"

"Grumpy-Loafy? What the _heck_ is that supposed to mean?" My words were drowned by Seth's and then Titty's laughter. I gave the latter a look. "You're supposed to be all timid! Stop siding against me!"

"Aw, is wittle Sophie thwowing a tantwum?" Seth taunted.

"Again, how are we even still traveling together?" The probability of that question ever being answered was slim. Very slim.

Ocean View Mall was easily in the top ten malls of Kanto, probably even in the top five. About a block or two away from the beach, it's central walkways were dotted with tide-pool themed hollows of water, groups of staryu, squirtle, goldeen, and a number of other aquatic pokémon swimming in their artificial habitat. Add to that the lower level, with lighting that made it appear to be underwater. Massive water tanks and in the place of honor was a lapras, proudly rearing in a spewing fountain.

Candi was overjoyed, running around and naming all the fish she could find. Seth and I were completely wowed, wondering how much money it cost to buy and keep these kinds of things maintained. And Titty... He looked like a white, trembling mouse who had been thrust into the lair of a cat. Yeah, he looked like he was expecting to die at any second. He obviously thought we had selected this mall to torture him mindlessly.

"They did this... _They_ did this!" he chanted, while shaking as bad as ever. At least the crowd seemed to part around us. I guess they thought the weirdness was going to be contagious.

"SOPH-A-LOAF!" Candi ran over and grabbed me. "I need new bras, so we're going there, okays?" She pointed to a Victoria's Secret. More stares from passersby. I fidgetted.

"That was... rather informative," I said. "Do you seriously shop there? You're only like... fourteen." Seth looked like he wasn't sure whether to crack up or be uncomfortable.

"W-What are those?" Titty asked, ceasing his shaking at last.

"What are what?" replied Seth, and my intuition told me that there was going to be a very awkward moment in the near future.

"Bras." Correcto. Very awkward moment has occurred. Even Candi was silent for a moment, but it wasn't the type of silence that Seth and I held. It was more... thoughtful, almost.

"Very well," she said solemnly. "I shall show thee, uninformed one." Like that would make the moment less awkward. The girl turned on her heel and strode off toward the shop. Stopping halfway, she turned and looked back to where we were all standing. "What are you waiting fors?"

"Either you to trip or to forget that you want to go in there," I stated bluntly.

"Silly Soph-a-Loaf, I'm _much_ more coordinated these days."

"Whatever you say..." mumbled Seth. But Candi was not to be put off from reaching her goal. She ran over, gripped Seth and me firmly, and tugged us to the store. I wanted to scream bloody murder. So did Seth, until he got a good look at the pictures of the company's models. He didn't feel too bad about going in after that. Typical teenage boy.

Titty followed us, trotting in a way remarkably similar to a puppy. About to mention it to him, I bit my tongue. I didn't feel like being responsible for his going over the edge into a nervous breakdown.

Spotting another customer- a girl who looked as though she and these kinds of garments were old friends- Seth went into his flirt-mode. I went after Candi, who was explaining cup sizes to a Titty who was looking rather awkward at the moment.

"-from 'A' to... Oh, poop. I can't remember what comes later in the alphabet. Oh well. And then, of course, there's the different _types_ that all- Oh, Soph-a-Loaf! Just in time! I can't decide between stripes or polka-dots."

I raised my eyebrows. "Candi, is anyone going to be actually _seeing_ your bra?"

"Well... No, but I like to be fashionable in all circumstances. I can't remember if it's stripes or dots this seas- OH. EM. AY! Do you see that Soph-a-Loaf? It's _perfect_!" I turned in a slow circle.

"Uh... I see a lot of other undergarments."

"El oh el! I made you look!" She giggled then turned serious. "But really, Soph, I _can't_ decide."

"Just buy both or something. Isn't this the 'buy one get one free' rack?" Apparently, she hadn't noticed this. She jumped up and down.

"It's Candi's lucky day! I just knew that it would be!" Candi made as if to run, but halted. "You know, this calls for gum to celebrate!" She shoved a piece of bubblegum into my hand and dashed off to the counter. I opened and closed my mouth, feeling rather stupid.

"Y-You look l-like a fish," Titty said, then went rigid. "F-Fish!" Pulling the jacket over his head, he curled in a ball and made the occasional meep. I blinked and looked down at the gum in my hand. Shrugging, I popped it into my mouth and went to look for Seth.

With that fifteen minutes out of the way (I planned to forget it as soon as I was able to) the next stop was regular clothing store. Candi's idea was to get everyone outfitted for the party along with a "winter" outfit. Like it ever snowed in Kanto. She had decided that she was going to be the "gay fashion expert" for that day, and ignored the protests of "Only guys can be gay" that spewed from our mouths.

Outfit after outfit was flung at us by Candi, some so outrageous that I had to wonder if Candi was doing this on purpose. Titty had no idea how to say no. At least Seth and I were pretty well-versed in saying that. But in the end, we did end up in the changing rooms with piles of clothes.

"Man, why are both the girls I travel with at such extremes? One is super-girly and the other is probably a guy," Seth complained from the room next to me.

"Thanks a bunch. Was that girl earlier in Victoria's Secret the perfect combination?" I said snidely, pulling on a pair of jeans.

"As a matter of fact, she was probably a better mixture than you two."

"Would now be a bad time for me t-to ask you n-not to fight?" Titty asked. "You're exactly like... l-like a... never mind..." At his words I froze, shirt half pulled over my head.

"We're like a what?" I spoke slowly and precisely.

"H-Huh? Y-Your voice is all muffly."

"TITTY! What were you going to say?" Seth yelled. Twisting around to look at my back in the mirror, I waited for Titty's response.

"Like a... m-married couple, or something." His voice made it sound like he had just uttered the unforgivable. I merely snorted.

"Yeah, I've heard that before. I think. Somewhere." I waved my hand dismissively before remembering that neither of the others could see me.

"I know I've thunk it before," added Seth, and a sigh of relief came from Titty.

"Th-Thunk isn't a word." And I knew that there would be a little furrow in his brow.

Sounds of crashing came from somewhere outside, along with a lot of apologies and giggles.

"Sorry guys-es, but I just found some more AMAZING outfits!" Candi said, throwing some shirts and dresses into my changing room.

A few seconds later, Seth burst out, "There is no way in ALL of Kanto that I'm wearing a cowboy outfit!"

"If that was a joke, Candi, then you're brilliant."

"Stop supporting her, Loafie."

* * *

After that unbelievably long day at the mall (which had included Candi almost losing Horsea when she "let him out to play with the other fishies" and Titty nearly having cardiac arrest when we had lunch at some place with massive fish tanks) we ended up having to go almost directly to the party.

The luxury cruise-liner was docked at the front of the main pier, barely bobbing in the glassy sea. Music and pulsing lights made it impossible to miss, even if the boat's massive size had already not made that the case. Eric was waiting on the sidewalk in front of the dock, dressed in his typical shorts and brand t-shirt.

Spotting us, he called, "Hey! Soph!" and waved furiously. Grinning, I ran up and rubbed his head.

"Hey! You let your hair grow out!" I said, giving him a look. "It doesn't feel like astro-turf anymore." He stuck out his tongue and slapped my hand away.

"Introduce me to your boyfriend."

"Funny." I turned and pointed to each person in turn. "Seth, Candi, and Titty-"

Eric choked. "_Titty_?"

"N-No! It's pronounced Tuh-AY-tee," Titty piped up as soon as I had nodded.

"Party! We're going to the party!" Candi sang, coming over and linking arms with me.

"Wow, why didn't you tell me you travel with a hot girl?" Eric asked.

"Because a- you think every female is hot, and b- Candi is just way above you."

"Not true! I know that _you_ are _not_ hot."

"Whatever." I stepped toward the boat. "Let's go."

The music only got louder and louder as we entered the boat, Eric flashing some sort of invite at a... guard? In any case, the man stepped aside and we stepped into the heart of the chaos. The room was mostly dance floor surrounded by a long table with food and sodas and smaller tables off to the side, where couples were happily making out. It was amusing, almost, the way that all of us just split up-- Candi to the food, Seth to dance, Titty to go hide, Eric to go make things awkward for the kissing couples, and me to stand there without a clue what to do.

"Catch, Soph-a-loaf!" I twitched in the direction of the voice, turning just in time to receive a soda can to the head.

"Ow," I gasped, rubbing the side of my head. "Candi!"

"Oh em ay, oh em ay!" She ran over and grabbed my face, turning my head from side to side. "I'm so sorry! It was such a good throw, too!" I smiled suddenly.

"No problem. After all, what's a little concussion?" Admittedly, that last part came out rather more sarcastically than I was going for.

"Good point, especially when you already lack brains." That voice... So low. And it cracked.

"Hey! It's the mean one! Meanie!" Candi shrieked and pointed at, yes, Reizu. I gave him a glare.

"You're still as bad tempered as a purugly, I see. And about as attractive," I snapped.

"You're just as squishy as one."

"Excuse me?" We stood glaring at each other for a very long minute.

Candi was dancing in the background chanting, "Meanie, meanie, in a yellow polka-dot bikini!" My eyes were starting to water a little from not blinking, so I chucked the soda can at him. The bastard caught it before it could give him a very nice, very big, concussion.

"Okay, Mr. Ninja Reflexes, we are going to battle. Now. Outside," I said, giving him a shove in the direction of the gangplank.

"I don't feel like it."

"Do I look like I care? Now, move!" I gave him another push.

"Oh! Oh! Candi will referee! So will Meowth!" She skipped past Reizu and me, popping a soda lid. "Now," she began when all of us were standing on the pier. "three pokémon each and... no items, unless they have lots and lots of sugar. No high fructose corn-syrup though. And if any of them touch the water--" she pointed down to the gentle waves. "they will be DISQUALIFIED! Doo doo doo doooooooooooo!"

"Are you making this up as you go along?" I asked.

"Noooooooo! What would make you think that? Oh! _And_ there is no touching..." She turned her head from side to side. "THAT piece of wood. It's just recovered from heart surgery, you see."

"Can we just start?" Reizu interjected.

"Arhem! Yesh! Battle... Begin! Ding!"

"Sepo!"

"Pikachu!" Oh, of COURSE he has a pikachu. Next time I battle him he's gonna have a dratini, too. At least I have something of a type-advantage. "You know what to do, Pikachu."

"A rhyme! A rhyme! Meanie gets twenty points!" Yeah, thanks for the encouragement, Candi.

"Leech Seed!" Sepo aimed her bulb, all the while making artillery tank noises. But Pikachu was fast, darting in, crackling with electricity.

"DOOM!" (FIRE!) There was a little puff of dust (which, thankfully, Pikachu didn't get a chance to avoid) and the little electric mouse slammed its sparking tail into Sepo's side. The sparks jumped from the tail in clung to her entire body. Sepo froze up and keeled over, stiff as a board.

"Sepo- The now dead bulbasaur belonging to So-"

"Oh, SHUT UP!" I yelled at the pokédex. "Sepo, try- hey! What are you doing?" Pikachu was now rolling Sepo over to the edge of the dock. "She can't swim! HEY! Are you even listening?" Apparently not. At least Sepo was an awkward enough shape that she wasn't easy to roll.

"Pika... CHU! CHU!" Reizu started to snicker a little.

"What did it just say?" I asked, all the while twitching because Sepo was still immobile.

"Your bulbasaur is too fat."

And the traitorous Rui, standing by my leg, snickered and uttered, "Cu-ma." (Oh, snap.)

* * *

Marika and Cali stood in their room, nearly twitching in excitement. At least, Marika was. Cali was more at the point of becoming nauseated from her nerves.

"The finals..." she murmured, nervously petting Plusle. "I never would have thought..." Marika put a comforting hand on the other girl's shoulder. Cali looked up, and Marika gestured downstairs and proceeded to do a lot of crazed dance steps. "Okay. If you insist..." With that, the two finalists went downstairs for a midnight, stress-relieving, enthralling game of Dance, Dance, Revolution.

* * *

***Author's Note* I'm SORRY! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm SORRY! I had the chapter and EVERYTHING, but there was no Internet to connect to! I WILL try to be MUCH faster for the next chapter. **

**Arhem. Well, there were a lot of awkward moments in this chapter and for those with purer minds- I hope you forgive me. Anyway, who else wishes they could congratulate Marika and Cali? Like, DANG, they're doing well. I'll occasionally check back in on them to you all can see how they do. **

**In any case, we are soon approaching a point where it is of the utmost importance to read "Belief at Dawn." We've set it up in such a way that that only way to fully understand what's going on is to read BOTH of the fictions. You may look at it and go "Holy crap that's way too many chapters", but let's face it, it's only going to get longer, so GO! READ! **

**Many thanks to all who have been reviewing and giving me feedback. You guys are great for encouragement :) but if you feel like flaming, go ahead. My head is much too swelled up to notice. Until next chapter...**


	30. Chapter 29: Double 'O Sepo

_**Chapter Twenty Nine: Double-O Sepo

* * *

**_

I could feel sweat start to prickle at my brow as the pikachu rolled an immobile Sepo closer and closer to the edge. Oh, how I despised the smug look on Reizu's face. I kinda wanted to punch him. Scratch that. I _really_ wanted to punch him. In any case, I resorted to yelling a mixture of threats and encouragement to my bulbasaur.

"Come on! I BELIEVE in you!" "Screw you, you worthless turnip! As soon as you fail to do anything, I'll DESTROY you!" "Please? For your loving trainer? PWEASE?" "Then I'll chop open your bulb and use you for a SALAD! NO dressing!"

Yes, this is what happens when I've been neglected my daily rampage. The snickering of Sir Smug didn't help either.

"I'll thank you to shut up," I growled at him. Closer and closer... The edge... And... Yup. Sepo was a goner. I huffed through my nose and waited for the inevitable splash, tapping my foot on the wooden planks. Moments passed. I frowned. Why hadn't Sepo fallen into the water yet? It seemed like Reizu was thinking the same. In that creepy, synchronized manner, we stepped toward the edge of the dock.

Faster than I could comprehend, a vine whipped out of the dark.

"SEP-" I began to yell in joy, only to be cut off as the vine, failing to catch onto anything else, secured itself around my neck. "Ggkk!" I choked, trying to shove my fingers beneath the vine. I guess it wasn't as bad as it could have been-- I could still breath-- but I was also trying to support a dead-weight. Sepo's moment of mobility had ended.

"Hmph. I've never met someone who could be so lucky and unlucky at the same time. Pikachu-" he cut himself off. "I don't know whether you can stand a Thunderbolt along that vine," he told me. "and I don't know whether I feel like risking that or not."

"How considerate," I drawled. "Do I get a say in this?"

"No."

"Candi! He's being mean!" I yelled.

"The meanie? How DARE he! He shall face the wrath of ME, SUPAH- CANDI!" "Supah-Candi" then had a jolly old time tripping over a knot in the wood.

"You could just say that I win."

"Oooooh! What did Loafie win? Tell Candi! TELLLLL!" Okay. No help there. But salvation did come. The vine around my neck twitched a little and the unmistakable sound of a bulbasaur humming the James Bond theme song appeared.

"... Are you serious?" Reizu said. "You know, I think that Thunderbolt was a good idea..."

"POO!" (Double- O SEPO!) The abrupt tightening of the vine brought me gasping to all fours as Sepo-- in all her amazing, secret agent glory-- propelled herself on top of Pikachu. There was a brief moment of stunned silence as Sepo release her hold on my neck, having slammed into the mouse with enough force to send them both flying toward the other end of the pier. Then the moment ended as the yellow annoyance began sparking wildly.

"Catch yourself!" Both of us yelled at our respective pokémon, then, "Shut up!" at each other. But Sepo was paralyzed again and the pikachu looked determined to create thunder-fried bulbasaur. Off the end of the pier... Falling... Falling... _Sploosh_. I flinched.

"Orange mocha frappuc- Oh em ay. Double disqualification!" our wondrous ref yelled. "That means you and you!" She pointed at us in turn. I shook my head in dumb disbelief.

"That was way too short," I mumbled, before going over to the water with Sepo's pokéball in hand.

"Bu bu bu! Po po bu!" (Bubbles! Bubbles! They attack! Buuuuuuuubblessssss!) I returned her quickly. Hallelujah, I think Sepo lost her few remaining brain cells.

"Send out your next battlers!"

"Wartortle!"

"Cupcake!"

"Cupcake? What kind of name is that?"

"A good one, thank you very much."

"I feel sorry for whatever pokémon you named that." The flash of red light and the two appeared. Wartortle snarled, eye flicking in an attempt to watch everything. Cupcake, meanwhile, gave an enormous belch, producing a half-digested "Out to lunch" sign. Cue the awkward silence.

"That's gross. What the heck do you do in your pokéball?" I said, prodding the sign.

"Ma." (Destroy pathetic human mortals and their capital cities.) I coughed a little at the response.

"Eat donuts? That's nice. Now kick some ass!" Another moment of silence.

"Karp." (Maybe tomorrow.)

"Mind if I give a command?" Reizu cut in with sarcastic politeness. No wonder Seth always seems irritated by my replies.

"Yes. Very much so."

"Fabulous." He turned and made eye contact with the turtle. "Send 'im over."

"Is that how you're going to try and get rid of all my pokémon?"

"Yup." I rolled my eyes at him. Fine then. Be like that. My dear Cupcake shall destroy him. I nudged said pokémon with my foot.

"Are you dead?" I asked him, giving a more forceful nudge when he didn't respond. It was another one of those "Why me?" moments. Wartortle waddled over and flung Cupcake over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Cupcake remained almost defiantly unresponsive.

"You know, you might be worse than that last battle," Reizu noted as Wartortle performed a Rapid Spin, sending Cupcake flying off into the distance.

"At least my pokémon love me," I retorted, squinting to aim the returning mechanism on the pokéball in the right direction.

"And mine don't?"

"Of course they don't, just loo-" He cut me off by pointing at the wartortle, who had rolled over on his back and looked like he was begging for a belly-rub. "Hmph. That's just taking advantage of you."

"NO RAPE!" Candi, as per usual, popped out of nowhere. "Very bad! Very, very bad! And YOU!" She pointed an accusatory finger at me, "are DISQUALIFIED! At least, your fish is. Hey, did you know dish rhymes with fish? But nothing rhymes with 'orange', isn't that weird?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Any hoo... NEXT!" she yelled and threw her arms up in the air. Reizu, smirking, recalled his wartortle and tossed his third.

"Scyther!"

"Poo you. Well, looks like we're done for, Rui," I muttered, "Damn flying-types..."

"Bone!" she clubbed me on the head.

"Don't give me any of that 'We can do it' crap. All your best attacks are Ground-based. That bug flies. No good." It was quite the bitter look I received.

"So," Reizu was looking smug again, "want to forfeit?"

"Do I really look that stupid?" I snapped.

"Yeah." A glare from me.

"Okay. Do whatever isn't something ground-like." I really shouldn't have taught her that evil look. Speaking of looks, I felt like punching that smirk off of Reizu's face.

"Useless, when your marowak can't even tell where Scyther is." And just like that, Scyther multiplied into about a dozen more. "Go." Each became a green blur, converging from every side to slash at Rui. So. He had trained them to the point of not even needing to give the actual command. Always one step ahead... I'd just have to live with it.

"Rage," I said softly. There was not going to be any dodge or anything at this point. Scythers were miles faster than any marowak. There was a loud clattering of footsteps from the gangplank at my back.

"Heeeeeeyyyyyy! I _thought_ you looked familiar!" I turned, recognizing the voice.

"Oh. Hello, uh... Sandra?" I tried. "I know it has an es-ay." She rolled her eyes.

"You never really did impress me with your intellect. It's Sana."

"Not remembering names has nothing to do with intellect."

"Whatever," In a way, that just let me know that I'd won that short bout, "anyway, what the hell are you doing out here, battling?" She gave Reizu a once-over. "Personally, I'd rather be making out with him than battling." Reizu gave an awkward, strangled noise.

"Thank you, no," he grunted. I snickered.

"Looks like that's not an option," I jibbed, then proceeded to wonder why there wasn't the sound of an over-sized bug and dinosaur fighting. Turning, I saw Scyther standing politely, waiting for the conversation to finish, a furious Rui being held off by a single scythe. I squinted and made a "what the hell?" expression. Looking back at Sana, I said, "And why are you out here, instead of bugging your nephew?"

She shrugged, a motion that made her naval piercing glint in the moonlight. "Dunno. To be honest, the DJ in there absolutely _sucks_. Arbok practically had a seizure from the awful mixes."

"I don't think you get seizures from badly-mixed songs."

"Whatever, doc," she waved her hand dismissively. "Are you going to keep battling or do-"

"Heeeeeyyyyyy! I know you!" Candi had suddenly appeared. "You were at that competition, and got disqualified for something or other." When Sana opened her mouth to interrupt, Candi just put an arm around her shoulder. "No worries, so did I."

"Do you mind?" Reizu snapped, "This is a _battle_, NOT a tea party." I watched as Rui continued to flail at the scyther.

"Not much of a battle to me..." I muttered darkly. "Hmph. Rui, try to get the bug into the water." She gave me a dirty look, obviously saying 'What does it look like I'm trying to do?' Part of my mind was telling me that whatever I did wasn't going to work out. This, of course, was the side that made the most sense. Like I would listen to that, when my stubbornness was so keen on making me think otherwise.

"Lame. Completely lame. You're trying to get a Ground pokémon to throw a Flying-type into the water."

"Keep your opinions to yourself, I care not what you think." At the moment, Scyther was doing a very good job of beating up Rui. "Come on, FOCUS!" I yelled at her. She merely grimaced beneath the heavy barrage of blows. "Rui... Come on... Fine, Rage and Thrash!" At those words, Scyther split into its dozen false images. I noticed with considerable surprise that Rui's eyes glittered in... triumph? Emitting the red flames of the combined Rage and Thrash, she ran and jumped at one of the Scythers off to her right and smashed her club into its shoulder. It gave a piteous cry and fell to the pier, the other images fading slowly from the night air. Eyes sliding out of focus, it gave a slight swipe that slowed almost immediately after it started.

A swift kick to the jaw, a punch to the temple, and the pokémon was out cold. My lips curled slowly into a smile as a panting Rui walked slowly over, collapsing against my leg.

Looking up, I met Reizu's eyes and said simply, "Pwned." And yet, he didn't look angry or frustrated. Quite the opposite.

"Sorry, there. It seems that I've won anyway." At once, my brows wrinkled in a frown.

"How so?"

"I got two out of three. Therefore," he pointed to himself in the most incredibly cocky way, "I win." My jaw must have dropped three inches.

"I- but- you- no- what?" I sputtered, pointing at him, then at Scyther, and then a number of other things that didn't have any relation to the subject. "...I demand a recount."

"Whatever. Lucky for you there wasn't any money on the table," he smirked.

"Oh, get a life. Candi, did he really just win?" Sometimes, you just gotta use the ref.

"Eh? Win? Win what?" Or not. "Oooooh! Look what Meowth found!" She held up a shiny pokédex. Immediately, my hand went to my jacket pocket. Nope, still there. Sana had shrugged her shoulders.

"What the hell?" Ah... Reizu, you have no idea how sweet this revenge feels. Reizu had fixed an all-too familiar glare on his face. "Give it back," he demanded, directing his look at Meowth. The cat considered him and mewed softly in Candi's ear. She nodded gravely, occasionally saying 'True' or 'True dat'. Smiling gleefully, I observed how he was on the brink of having a vein-pop.

Clearing her throat importantly, she said, "Meowth feels that since you are such a meanie to the wunnerful Soph-a-Loaf, she will hoard the preciousness away for all of eternity until the almighty Ganondorf sees fit to present you with it."

"And who might this 'Ganondorf' be?" Reizu said through clenched teeth.

"I forget. HOWEVER-" Candi continued before Sana interrupted,

"No matter how _amusing_ this might be, there is only one male out here. I am feeling a great lack of testosterone. Later," she waved shortly and walked back up. I gave a short cough that so cleverly hid the word, 'Slut.'

"-Meowth will gives the precious up to another special persons- her fwends." Reizu rolled annoyed eyes.

"Just give me the damn pokédex."

"Because you cussed- No," she yawned widely. "I'm tireds Soph-a-Looooooooaf... Can we sleep?"

"Sure. Wanna head back to the hotel? Tonight was kind of a fail." I looked down at Rui. "I can't carry you anymore. Yes, you are too heavy. Yeah, like pokémon can go bulimic. No, not anorexic either. Back into your ball." I returned her and arched my back, lifting my arms in a stretch. "Well," I said to Reizu, "_Great_ to see you again. Let's not make it happen again."

"Toodles, meanie~" Candi giggled, linking arms with me and skipping off. I could practically hear the steam spurting from his ears as we made out cheery way off. Such an exit must have been so infuriating for him... Ah, good times, good times.

"Wait! P-Please d-don't leave meeeeeeeee!" Thank you, Titty, for ruining a perfectly good exit. Of course, it wasn't _entirely _fair to leave him... Candi and I slowed a bit, looking over our shoulders to look at him running toward us, his over-large jacket billowing behind him. "Th-Thanks... Are we g-going to wait for Seth?" We all looked at each other.

"Nah," Candi and I said. He could find his own way back.

* * *

Skipping over a good deal of arguing and "fights" (for some reason they usually ended up as long bouts of "Your MOM!" "Your FACE!"), mainly between Seth and me, we somehow made it to the next day. However, there was a nasty surprise waiting for us in the lobby.

"Hey! It's the super-clone!" Seth yelled suddenly, pointing at a certain, jacketed someone.

"Crap! Don't look into its eyes! It turns you to stone!" I shouted in response, pulling Titty and Candi, who happened to be nearest, behind one of the plush armchairs.

"Nooooo! I don't wanna be a sculpture!" screamed Candi.

"I think that's g-good... Wait... I th-think we're too loud..." Oh yeah, Reizu has ears. Said boy popped his head over the armchair, his face looking incredibly sarcastic.

"Oh dear, it looks like I don't turn people to stone after all. _What_ a pity," he drawled and I glared back malevolently.

"What now? It hasn't even been a full twenty-hour hours."

"In case you've forgotten, I have to get my pokédex back."

"Candi, make Meowth give back the pokédex," I said quickly, "I don't wanna see his face for much longer."

"But I'm not Ganondorf todays. Today I is Dumbledore," Candi pointed out, "See the beard?"

"Meowth, give back the pokédex," Seth demanded, holding out his hand to Meowth. The cat ignored him, busily poking a fake apple. Fascinating.

"Like seriously, give it back," I joined Seth in watching and talking to Meowth. "Please?" She just looked up and shook her head.

"Well," Reizu said, and I instinctively flinched. I knew that what was coming wasn't going to be very good, "it looks like I'll just have to join you until I become 'fwends' with that meowth."

"Clone-boy meanie say WHAT?" I guess Candi hadn't caught on.

* * *

***Author's Note* … Should I even keep apologizing? I say it'll be faster everytime, and yet it never works out that way. Well, kudos to Mysteryless for pushing me. **

**Okay, I know, ANOTHER person? And REIZU of all people? Blame the meowth, not me. Sana Styles made another appearance and Candi is Candi-like as always~ **

**I'd also like to make a note about the Synergetic Sins Collaboration. The reason for not updating is simple: we're missing half our authors. Actually, it's kind of worrying so please, please, PLEASE don't pester me with PM's asking whether it will be updated soon. You know who you are. **

**And as my frequent reminder to everyone: Read Belief at Dawn! The collaboration point draws ever closer and so catch up on your reading! **

**As for the next chapter, it should feature Seth's battle and getting to know our dear main's rival a bit more. Yes, his pokémon shall have their own issues as well. Who knows, I might even write half of it from a pokémon's point of view... Tell me what you think.**


	31. Chapter 30: Meet the Pokémon

_**Chapter Thirty: Meet the Pokémon

* * *

**_

It was awkward. The whole thing was awkward. Try eating croissants with a boy who's pretty much exactly like you, you're "supposed" to hate him (hey, what journey is complete without the hated rival?) while the whole time, the others are trying to decide whether or not to really hate him. After all, he's almost exactly like the person they've been traveling with so far. Titty, however, seemed to have made up his mind. I think he was so sick of me that he had gotten automatically sick of Reizu, which, looking at it from a completely unbiased perspective, was a bit unfair. Not that I'm taking it personally, you know. However, that seemed a little besides the point. And right now, the point was kicking Seth into the Gym battle.

Following Reizu's appearance, Seth's attitude had taken a turn from grumpy-happy to grumpy-grumpy. This was probably for the same reason as Titty. Pf. Screw him, too. But the issue of Reizu's presence was solved quite nicely.

"You know, I think I'm just gonna take my pokémon to the beach," Super-clone said, in his usual pitch-y voice. "But don't worry, I'll be back."

"Ha ha ha," everyone except for Candi forced out.

"Eep! That's, like, _stalker_ status," she pouted, almost sounding flattered at the thought of someone stalking her.

"Whatever," he muttered, turning his back to us. _Just leave... _I had an escape plan. As he walked away, pressure was lifted from my leg.

"Po po po po!" (Wait for meeeeee!) Sepo squealed. (Sepo loves the beach!)

"Oh, great, just desert me will you?" I grumbled. Then, as though to add even more of an insult, Rui's pokéball started to rattle around. "What?" I snapped, releasing her.

"Bone, cu. Marrow ma." (My apologies, but I feel the need to attack a few krabby.) Yeah, even Rui was trotting after Reizu now. At least Candi's zubat and Meowth were following, too. It made me feel just a little better. Sandshrew looked like he'd like nothing more than to follow Rui to the beach. Now that I thought about it, it was kind of weird that she'd want to go. She hated water with a passion, after all. We were going to have a nice long talk when she got back.

* * *

Reizu looked at the four pokémon that had followed him, not really surprised. But he didn't smirk or show any signs of smugness. That, after all, was just a way to annoy Seth and Sophie, and an effective one at that. He merely nodded at them and continued to walk.

The beach was, as usual, filled to the brim with traveling trainers, little kids, and- seeing as no beach would be complete without them- a number of elderly people sunbathing wrinkled faces. Reizu tossed three pokéballs into the air, his Scyther, Pikachu, and Wartortle appearing. Immediately, the turtle, went into a crouching pose, eyes darting everywhere. Reizu, taking no notice, stripped down to a pair of swim trunks and made a running dive into the waves. The pokémon watched him go, then turned to each other.

"I smells ninjas," the wartortle hissed. "Which of you is hidings the ninja?"

"Like, dude, lay off the ninja obsession. That's all you ever talk about, man," a hint of a whine was creeping into the pikachu's voice. Rui slumped visibly, holding her head. "What's up with chu, man?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that there are no _normal_ pokémon left in this world?"

"Perdon." Now the bug was talking. "Iz zere a problem with moi comrades?"

"Oh! A Frenchie!" Meowth squealed as she sat on Zubat, who was struggling to stay aloft. "Bonjour~ Soy Meowth~"

"Zat iz not Francais, madam. Zat iz Spanish."

"Oops. Mah bad." Off to the side, there was a constant snuffling sound along with, "Ninjas, ninjas. I smells you ninjas, you cans not hides from Wartortle, no. No place to hides." Rui gave a very loud sigh and plopped down on the sand.

"Hey, what is male trainer like?" Sepo asked suddenly, looking up from where she was doodling in the sand. "Male trainer looked mean, but then male trainer seemed to change."

"What, man? Are you trying to start, like, gossiping?" Pikachu looked scandalized.

"I really can't tell if you're a boy or a girl, will you please clarify?" Rui retorted, glaring at the mouse.

"I am one hundred percent male, thank you very much."

"But how can you be sure?" Meowth piped up. "I mean, really?"

"Don't answer that," both Scyther and Rui said in unison.

"No one is answering Sepo..." Tears pricked in the corners of the little bulbasaur's eyes. "Why is she being ignored for questions of gender?"

"Just a brief interlude, I assure you. 'Male trainer' is ze best of trainers. He knows that in order to accomplish, one can't be soft. However, he also knows that to be heartless is to be hopeless."

"I don't know, he always looks so grumpy. I think you're slightly biased," Rui told Scyther. He looked down his muzzle at her, an action which Rui didn't appreciate in the least. "Stop taking advantage of your height!" she snarled and whacked his knees with her bone. Seeing it have little to no effect, she continued to smack at it. "Stupid... Bug... Stupid... Exoskeleton... Stupid exoskeleton on bug... I squash you and eat you for dinner."

"Ninjas... Ninjas... I smells ninjas..."

"I have a feeling zat for once, Reizu 'as made a mistake in traveling with you," Scyther said. "And will you please stop whacking me with ze bone?" Rui glowered but lowered her bone, and Scyther turned to Meowth. "Now, I must ask. Will you please give back the pokédex?"

The cat gave him a calculating look. "Hm... Seeing as you asked politely... No." And cackling gleefully, she bounded off down the beach, occasionally swiping a lady's ever-shiny sunglasses, checking her own reflection, and throwing them back.

"Oooooh! Sepo will play chase, too!" Sepo jumped up and bounded after Meowth, her stubby little legs working furiously against the sand. For a moment, everyone looked after them.

"Marowak, I must talk to you," Scyther said abruptly.

"Why?" Rui was determined to be as difficult as possible. Wartortle and Pikachu quickly slunk off toward the water.

"Because you're going to have to at least pretend to get along with us for a bit."

"Why?"

"Because we want to give our trainers an easier time, no?"

"Why?"

"Because that's what we're supposed to do as pokémon."

"Why?"

"Because, because... Are you just going to say why this whole time?"

"Probably."

"This is pointless, isn't it?"

"Probably." Rui said, making Scyther sigh and drop from the air, landing with a poof on the sand.

"I wish you wouldn't judge people."

"Why?"

"OH MY ARCEUS!" For the first time, Scyther had lost his cool. "JUST LISTEN!" There was a long pause, in which one could hear the terrified shrieks of people getting shocked by a certain pikachu in the water. Finally, Rui said, "Why?"

And to sum up Scyther's reaction, one only needs to know that Rui muttered, "Team Sophie- one, Team Reizu- zip."

* * *

If a person had to choose one word to describe the battle between Seth and Lt. Surge, it would most likely be "Pathetic." On one hand, you had the agile Sandshrew that knew a very powerful TM and could easily outmaneuver the heavy Raichu. On the other, there was the heavy Raichu, who had a habit of slamming into walls after Sandshrew either dodged or used dig. Electrode wasn't as easily defeated, as it was able to hover above the ground when earthquake was used, but its electrical attacks had no effect on the sand rodent.

However, it did have other attacks that could have taken care of Sandshrew without a great amount of difficulty. It was Lt. Surge who was to blame. He made the fatal mistake of positioning himself by a highly reflective window, and like sugar distracted Candi, his vanity distracted himself. It was highly doubtful that he gave even one command during the battle between Electrode and Sandshrew. This was probably why Sandshrew was able to pummel the pokémon so effectively.

And after the battle, Sandshrew had a surprise for a certain Marowak.

* * *

***Author's Note* Okay~ Updated AT LAST! I won't give you all my reasons, but they have to do with a musical, tests, and a bunch of art trials. But summer is here! And I hope to update at least once a week unless I'm out of town or something. **

**But have you realized, this chapter is the big three- o. Not counting the prologue. Things are going to speed up after this and the chapters will be slightly shorter. I don't want to bore you. And to add excitement, reviews have reached the big three-o-o! Thanks to "Kina, still too lazy to log on," better known as Mysteryless, for being the 300th reviewer! Love you all!  
**

**And for readers of the Synergetic Sins series- Our dear friend CyberWolf101 suffered some severe injuries and ended up hospitalized. Send him your best wishes. Whit and I (and I'm sure a lot of you) miss him a lot. **

**On that happy note, happy summer 2010! And I hope you all enjoy Flag Day tomorrow ;D**


	32. Chapter 31: Life Sucks

_**Chapter Thirty One: Life Sucks

* * *

**_

I had high hopes. Very high hopes. And what were those hopes? Well, obviously I was hoping that Reizu wouldn't magically find us in the obscure little restaurant we were eating at (which boasted a forty-percent discount for traveling trainers.) However, as was inevitable in life, my hopes were quickly and firmly squashed. I had a feeling that Reizu would be doing a lot of that hope-squashing.

There were a few signs that let us know Reizu had found us. First, Sepo and Meowth came bursting in through the handy small-pokémon flap in the restaurant door. Second, there were angry outbursts of "Maro, wa-ru san sa!"- which happen to translate into something very rude, something I had no idea where Rui had picked up. Then, of course, was the tell-tale puberty ravaged voice.

I groaned and hid my face in my hands, "Ughhh... Life sucks," I mumbled, words obscured through my palms.

"_Now_ do you see how annoying you can be?" Yes, Seth, that's _exactly_ what you want to say to me right now.

"SHHHH!" Before an argument could start, Candi shushed us. "Now, if he comes up to us, we pretend like we're merely French relatives. And babble a bit." A sharp tang of skepticism with a dash of disbelief was immediately tangible. _Oh yes, relatives who just happen to look just like us and who wear the exact clothes. _

"Told you I'd fine you," Reizu said, smug and smirking as always. About to roll my eyes and give a cutting retort, Candi abruptly dug her heel into my foot painfully, so that I just grimaced.

"Perdoname, pero no conozco tú." Admittedly, Candi spoke without hesitation, the words flowing effortlessly. However, those words were definitely not French. "¿Quién eres?"

"Scy..." (Why is ze world full of ignoramus?)

"Come on, you can't fool my scyther," Clone-boy said, still smug.

"And how does that work?" I spat, unable to hold it in. "Your scyther speak French, or something?"

"As it so happens, yes, he does. And he seems to think that you're an 'ignoramus' to boot." He slid into the booth next to Titty, who shrank back as if worried Reizu had some sort of plague. At this point, Sepo popped her head over the table, sniffing at the basket of bread.

"Po po?" (Sepo take bread?)

"No, Sepo no take bread," I replied, pushing the bread further away.

"Doooooooooooom!" (But Sepo is hungry!) she whined.

"What, his Wonderfulness over there didn't feed you?"

"Oh, now I'm wonderful?" he cut in.

"No, believe me, you aren't."

"But why would I believe you?"

"Because I told you to."

"But I'm your superior in every way."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because I beat you in every battle, I'm considerably more intelligent, I'm older, I can pretty much read your mind- Do you want me to continue?"

"Can you?"

"Yeah, but I know you don't want your ego deflated that much." There was a silence.

"You know, I don't like arguing with you. It's more fun with Seth," I said, looking away.

"Glad to know I'm good for something," muttered Seth. There was a dull pounding on my leg. I looked down to see Rui making gestures to get up on the seat next to me.

"Use your words," I said grumpily.

"Arowa cubone," (I'm a fucking pokémon. We don't use words.) I grinned at this and pulled her up.

"Oh yeah, Rui, your boyfriend evolved," giggled Candi.

"Sa..." (What boyfriend?) Right on cue, Sandshrew- or rather, Sandslash- popped out of his pokéball with a flash of red light.

"Sand, she she shrew an," (Rui, my dearest, look! I evolved at the same place you did, it must be fate.) Rui merely gave him a dirty look, which Seth mirrored.

"I miss when you were vicious and ready to tear off the head of anyone who crossed your path..." Seth sighed. "For once I agree with you, Loafy," he slumped in his seat and put his chin on the table. "Life sucks."

* * *

The majority of us woke up early, in the hopes of sneaking away before Reizu could get up. You can guess how that went. He was waiting in the lobby, all packed and ready to go and eating rice-balls. Yes, my bitter feeling increased tenfold. I walked past him without a word, everyone else following.

As we walked along the road that went toward Diglett's Cave, Reizu fell into step beside me. "You know, I would be more than happy to leave if I got my pokédex back."

"Talk to Meowth, not me," I snapped. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing more, and so for a long while, there was no sound aside from our footsteps and Candi's running monologue.

"Hey, Loafy," Seth ran up next to me. "I think Celadon City is up and over, not... Wherever we're going." Oh. Right. Oops. Crap. I coughed, and immediately covered my mistake up, "Actually, I figured that seeing as no one's actually gotten much in the way of new pokémon recently- aside from the glorious Candi- I thought the Safari Zone would be good."

"So you're not just walking in the wrong direction for a pathetic excuse of a reason?"

"Do I need you opinion, Sir Wonderful? I don't think so," I said, giving Reizu my trademark glare.

"Yeah, listen you-with-a-fabulous-Japanese-name, at this point, you're bottom of the pile. Yes, lower even than Titty. And I don't think you want to get a nickname like that," Seth glared at Titty as well.

"True enough," Reizu flashed us a smirk and fell back to walk a little ways behind us. It was then that a little brunette, who, judging by her clothes, seemed very taken with the colors blue and brown, came running up to me.

"Hey, I'm Emily," she smiled largely in the sort of "hi-I-just-met-you-and-want-to-be-best-friends" way. "Can I bother you for a battle?" The plusle on her shoulder pipped hopefully.

"No," I said, still pissed off.

"Weak..." Reizu muttered, so I continued, "It wouldn't be a bother at all." While "Emily" had looked somewhat put out before, her face cleared and she took out two pokéballs.

"One-on-one, two pokémon each? No items?" She suggested, and I shrugged.

"Sounds fine to me."

"Hey, look! Emily's battling!" a couple of boys shouted excitedly. "Go Emily!"

Seth rolled his eyes, "What is this, reverse polygamy?" I smirked at his comment.

"Alright," I said, pulling Sepo off my leg. "Ready?"

"Doom!"

"Yes! Go, Piplup!" She threw a ball, releasing the little penguin.

"What the heck? Why do you have a Sinnoh starter?" It was more to myself than to her, but she answered nonetheless, "I lived there for a few years." _No shit Sherlock. I'm pretty __sure that's the only way you can get one. _

"Well, bite the birdie, Sepo." I tossed her onto the ground, where she did a fancy somersault and let out a ferocious, "DOOM POO!" There was no pause, the piplup immediately leaped at her, beak glowing white. I grinned.

"Nappy time, Sepo." With that, Sepo did a one-eighty and faced her bulb at the oncoming piplup.

"Poof!" Sepo said happily, and indeed, _poof_. A cloud of green powder exploded in piplup's face. But it didn't fall to the ground asleep. Instead, it gave an almighty sneeze and puffed up, almost as if it was... holding its breath. Well then. So be it.

"It can't hold its breath forever, try again 'til it inhales some." Sepo complied, but I was already starting to see that something was wrong. Not only was the piplup still managing to hold its breath, but it was starting to glow white.

"The effects of a fully executed Bide are usually devastating, especially at a close range." Ever helpful that pokédex was. Ever so helpful, indeed.

* * *

***Author's Note* Hah! See, I HAVE updated quickly~ Not much to say about this, but Sophie and co. are heading out for the Safari Zone now. Exciting, no? **

**Emily belongs to _sierrap123_**

**Annnnd I'm gonna be backpacking next week so expect either an early update or a late one. **

**Let's see... Reviews always appreciated but I can't make you... And I think that's about it. **


	33. Chapter 32: Toning it Down

_**Chapter Thirty Two: Toning it Down

* * *

**_

Sepo seemed to have realized the direness of the situation and dove into a bush. There were a few long moments and then, quite simply, the piplup ceased its glowing.

"However, Bide has no effect if no physical attacks are used," my pokédex chirped happily.

"Ehhhh...?" I frowned. "That's... ARGH! _Stupid_ pokédex! Thanks a million." And ever helpful, Reizu said, "You should have known that."

"I..." Admittedly, he had a point. "Pf. Knew it all along. Just testing to see what the pokédex would do." That was weak, and from the looks on everyone's faces, they all knew it.

"Pardon me, can we continue...?" Emily asked meekly, and I gave her a look.

"Yeah, whatever. Sepo, come back." Her head popped over the bush; her muzzle covered with berry juice.

"EEEEHHHHH?" she squealed, to which I was momentarily dumbfounded as to where she'd picked that up. But there was no time to waste with silly things like that. I beckoned and she waddled out, stumbling a little.

"Due to the bulbasaur Sepo's naïve nature, the Aguav berry recently consumed has caused her to become wasted." Once again, I felt the urge to smash my pokédex to a pulp. Sepo grinned up at me, rolling over on her back and wiggling her legs in the air like a dying bug. She then started leaking a pinkish mist from her mouth that was moved away on the light breeze.

I would have said that the mist had an effect on the piplup as well, seeing as it was lazily spinning in circles. But that was not the case. As it spun, it was gradually creating a funnel around itself, a funnel that grew larger with each second that passed. I wasn't too worried, of course.

"Sepo... Seeeeepo..." I nudged her with my foot, but she just snorted and let out another cloud of pink mist.

"Poooo..." She murmured woozily, right as the two of us were drenched by a semi-failed Whirlpool.

"FFFF!" I spluttered and shook wet strands of hair from my eyes. "What the heck?" That was about when I realized that the Whirlpool wasn't even semi-failed, it had just been used to hide the fact that a very quickly spinning piplup was flying at Sepo.

"The move Drill Peck is learned at around level thirty-nine- Therefore, Sepo has no chance of surviving. You're screwed," the pokédex's narration did a great deal to improve my spirits. The piplup's attack hit Sepo head on, earning an, "Ooooooh, it was a critical hit, too!" from the pokédex. Sepo's pupils dilated abruptly as she went cross-eyed. Finally, her lids shut. There was a bitter taste in my mouth as I placed her in the pokéball.

"Alright. Rui-" I looked down to where she had been the majority of the battle, only to find that she'd vanished and Meowth had taken her place.

"Meooooowww~" she said in a sort of "oh-heyyyyyyy-theres" way.

"Where'd Rui go...?" I turned in a full circle, looking for my missing bone-flinging dinosaur.

"Aroooooooo!" (I refuse to fight a water-fowl!) came the familiar howl from a tree.

"First sand-rodent, now water-fowl, you're gonna turn... type-ist on me! Get out of that tree!"

"Wa." She stubbornly clung to the branch.

"Do you realize how ridiculous you look?" She was clinging to he branch like a koala, her club precariously placed in between her two horn-like things.

"Ma-wa-ro." (I don't care. I refuse to fight that water-fowl.)

"Come _on_! I don't want to have to use Cupcake!"

"Bone, sa." (Sucks for you.) My mouth worked, but no sound came out. Finally, I managed, "Fine then. _Be_ that way." And I sent out the magikarp.

* * *

Suffice to say, the battle probably took about a minute to finish. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but not by much. It wasn't long before I was handing Emily her winnings while avoiding the boys who were congratulating her profusely. I turned back to my group. Candi and Seth were looking honestly shocked, Reizu like he had expected it (screw him), and Titty was absent.

"What happened?" Seth asked. "I mean... She just..." I shrugged it off, looking anywhere but at their faces.

"Sophie didn't use strategy. She's been relying on type advantages and her pokémons' own ability. That's what happened," said Reizu. "That's what's let her make it this far." And much as I hated to admit it, I was seeing so many similarities with what he was saying and the events thus far.

Candi put her arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry about it," she said, her usual air-headed tone gone.

"Yeah, really guys. This is life. Win some, lose some. Just one little loss," I said, smiling. "I know now not to let Sepo near berries." But everyone saw through my forced cheer.

_What's wrong with me? I can't accept one little loss... _But I knew exactly what was wrong. I was over-confident and despised losing.

"Let's get to a pokécenter," Seth spoke. "I think Titty headed there a bit ago." Candi and I nodded and started walking. "And really, don't worry about it, Loafie. We don't think any worse of you."

"Hey, come on. This is a little overboard for one loss," I said, looking at the two.

"Yeah, but we know where your ego is, and I figure we'll help slowly lower it, instead of sending you into an abyss of dismal despair," Candi then giggled, "What's an abyss, again?"

* * *

Despite the cheerful words exchanged, there was no denying that I felt down, as explained by the long period of me lying flat on my back, staring at at the chipped ceiling of the pokécenter's overnight room. Rui had long since given up on me and had gone to irritate Reizu's pokémon with Meowth. My pokédex was lying in a few different pieces, I having long since removed the battery to make it end the gloating at my defeat.

I groaned a bit and turned over, looking at the open laptop at my head, which was still playing recordings of old championship battles I had started watching a little earlier. I snapped the lip shut, unable to take the cheering of the crowds anymore.

There was a knock at the door, and it opened right after.

"What do you want, Reizu?" I asked, more tired than snappish.

"I'd like to talk to you for a minute."

* * *

At the words the simulation flashed on the screen, screams of joy erupted from the two usually silent girls.

"MARIKAAAAA!" Cali shrilled, ripping off her headset. "WE WON! WE WON! WE WON!" And though Marika didn't use words, her screams were proof enough of her joy. The two hopped out of their respective simulators, and hugged each other, beaming as the man in charge approached.

"Congratulations, winners of this year's Kanto Seizonsha Trials..."

* * *

***Author's Note* What is Reizu planning on saying? Who knows? But we do know that despite arguments and whatever, the original trio are closer than an outsider might expect. And congrats to Marika and Cali, who won the trials! Like oh em ay! **

**Short chapter, hopefully had a lot of stuff though. Along with discovering that Rui might be turning type-ist. *Sigh* What next? Pollen-puffer? Well, hope you enjoyed, and I have now been on fanfiction for more than a year! Yay! **

**This will soon be approaching a collab point with _Belief at Dawn_ when they reach Fuchsia! So stay tuned for that (won't be more than a couple chaps, I think...) **


	34. Chapter 33: An Unfortunate Revival

_**Chapter Thirty Three: An Unfortunate Revival

* * *

**_

"No. Go away," I said, giving him a very pissed off scowl. Reizu shrugged and said, "Alright." And he turned to leave.

I blinked, wondering if I was hallucinating. "Wait, really?" Could this be real? Was he actually leaving when I told him to?

"Uh... Yeah." I resisted the urge to punch my fist in the air and scream "HELL YEAH!" And I will not lie, it was a very difficult urge to resist. As he left, I sat and thought for a few seconds. That was when it hit me. A gnawing, truly irresistible curiosity that demanded I find out what he wanted to say. I was pretty sure I could even feel it in my stomach. I jumped off the bed, staggering a little as blood rushed in my head, throwing me off balance. Growling a little, I went to the door and stuck my head out in the hall.

"OI! REI-" I cut myself off at the sight of him leaning against the wall next to the door, his hands now covering his ears. My eyes narrowed at once. "Were you just lurking outside?"

"No. That'd make me a creeper. Which I'm obviously not."

"Yeah, _sure_." He just smirked at my response.

"But I believe you wanted to know what I was going to say." True. Not like I was going to say it, but it was very true.

"Yeah, yeah. What is it?" I said, trying to keep a nonchalant manner.

"I wanted to suggest a deal."

"Does it involve selling my soul?"

"No."

"Then no deal." Reizu rolled his eyes at me while I glared.

"I was _going_ to say you get my pokédex back and I'll show you how not to lose as badly as you did today."

"Thanks man, thanks a lot," I drawled. "And even if I _wanted_ to take the deal, which I don't, by the way, I'm not best-buds with Meowth or anything like that."

"Maybe not, but your marowak is." I snorted at the insanity of it all.

"Yeah, r-" And, because as with every situation, something just had to prove me wrong.

"WARRRRRRRRRR!" The almighty bellow of a rather angry wartortle came echoing down the hall.

"Meww~" (I got it~ I got it~) Meowth screeched happily, running down the hall and clutching what looked like a Mystic Water in her paw.

"AROOO!" (Idiot! This is the last time I'm going to help you pull a prank!) Rui yelled as she came after Meowth, going as fast as her little legs could take her. Not to mention she was dripping with water and looking thoroughly miserable. The turtle wasn't far behind, and was yelling in a not-so-nice sounding manner at the two of them.

Reizu looked at me and shrugged. "I don't know, they seem to get along pretty well." I sighed. That argument was gone. At least I still had my veto power.

"I'm still not doing anything."

"Fine then." He turned and went towards the stairway at the end of the hall. I just went back into the room and flopped myself down once again. In the back of my mind I wondered if this was how the first stages of emo-ness manifested themselves. I checked the clock on the wall. Five twenty. That meant probably enough time for a shower before the long, painful process of finding a restaurant would have to begin.

* * *

Dinner was much as I had predicted. A very draining event that meant we'd be over sleeping in the morning. Well, with the exception of Candi, naturally. She seemed to have a boundless source of energy that made just looking at her cause exhaustion for the rest of us. If only she wasn't as choosy about her regular meals as she was her desserts, it would have made life a lot easier for all of us.

So, to sum it all up, we were fast asleep the moment we hit the pillows. Though from the sound of it, Seth had fallen off his bed and onto the rug. His steady snores were proof he didn't notice.

But at some ungodly hour of the morning I sat bolt upright in my bed. I didn't know what woke me up, all I knew was that it felt like I had been injected with a few shots of caffeine. My heart was racing and there was an unpleasant tickling sensation in the base of my stomach. I looked around, wide eyed as I tried to see in the dark. There. That bag. Seth's bag. Was it moving? Back and forth... Back and forth... Was there something in there? The cloth was rippling... pushing out and in... pushing... Was that something trying to get out? Despite the clarity of my mind, something was fuzzy. I couldn't place it. It was just a pressure behind my eyes. What was it? It stopped moving abruptly and I felt a cold tingle of fear as my mouth felt suddenly dry. I jumped as there was a cold draft (did _you _know it was possible to jump sitting down?) but it was just the open window.

_Jumpy, jumpy._ I scolded myself and lay back down, shoving the pillow over my head to drown out Seth's snores.

* * *

Despite the exhaustion from the previous night, I woke up to a dusky sort of light that made everything look blue. I couldn't say I was "refreshed and ready to go play with unicorns," rather I felt groggy and rather grumpy (though that wasn't anything new.) However, I knew it would be impossible to get more sleep. Rui and Sepo had somehow managed to find space on the tiny bed. Cautiously, so as not to wake them, I wriggled out of the covers and sat on the edge of the mattress. My thoughts slowly drifted back to the previous day, and I shuddered, shaking my head violently as though trying to rid myself of the memory.

_Training. Lots and lots of training._ Yes. That was the only way I could avoid something so awful in the future. I grimaced and poked my sleeping pokémon. Sepo rolled over, still fast asleep, drooling and snapping at nothing. Rui was much more cooperative (as always) and helpfully thwacked Sepo over the head. I looked around and saw the dismantled pokédex. I reached for the parts, hesitated, and picked them up again.

"Alright, pal," I murmured. "Last chance."

* * *

The early morning joggers, as I found out, were probably the best people to have a friendly spar with. I wasn't feeling up to an actual battle (yeah, yeah, roll your eyes), and pretty much everyone under the age of twenty left upon learning I wasn't going to stake any money on a nice little bout. How rude of them.

I was happy to say that my pokédex was behaving very well. My hopes were rising that I had somehow reset it. It wouldn't even matter if all the data from the pokémon had been erased. Screw that, I wasn't some geek in a lab coat.

Saying good bye to the last of the joggers, I walked towards a scrubby half-forest. Actually, I couldn't be sure _what_ it was. Because there were trees, but they could be more than maybe six or seven feet taller than me and were more spaced apart than a forest's trees would be. I looked up, spotting a fearow in the trees that was eying us in a very unsettling, very crafty manner.

"Po po po see..." (Sepo isn't liking the looks of the scary bird...) Sepo whimpered and hid behind my leg. Rui and I looked at each other.

"Alright. Sepo, Stun Spore on the scary bird," I said. I really am pitiless sometimes. She looked up at me, blinking her large red eyes.

"Bulba..." (Sepo needs an ear check up...) she mumbled, but walked beneath the tree. She looked up and slapped the flatter end of her vine against the bird's cheek. The fearow looked down, and I swear that if it was possible for a creature with a beak to sneer, that's what it'd be doing.

"ROW!" It shrieked abruptly and narrowed its already unreasonably small eyes before leaping off the branch and flying high up. It was apparently preparing for a corkscrewing dive. Sepo looked up and gave a little "Eep!" and squeezed her eyes tight.

"Now, Sepo," I said, looking at the bulbasaur. "When you think the scary bird is in your range, you're going to use a Stun Spore. Use everything you got."

"Poo... Doom doom doom..." (Eep... Trainer, Sepo is doomed doomed doomed.) I shook my head and watched as the fearow folded its wings in and plummeted towards Sepo. _Wait... Wait... And... NOW!_ I looked at Sepo. She was puffing for all it was worth, sending more of the spore into the air than I would have thought possible. But it didn't seem to have an effect on the bird. I scowled, not quite sure what was wrong.

"DOOOM!" Came the terrified screeching yell. Then there was a burst of light. White light. I, too, turned that color. _No... No, no, no!_ I started to panic, fumbling with the pokédex. _Sepo can't evolve... Evolving means everything is stronger... Including her jaws. _

"Where's the dang button?" I snarled, looking at all the unlabeled buttons.

"A little to the left," chirruped an awfully familiar voice. Yes, the pokédex was back. But there was nothing else I could do. The device hadn't come with a manuel. I moved my finger obediently. "A little more, no, no, too far. Go up a bit." I nodded and proceeded accordingly. "Now to the right a bit... A little more than that. Now-" I stopped suddenly.

"Wait a second. How can you even see where my finger is?" And to my horror, it laughed and giggled and said, "Haha~ Just joking with you~" I flinched as my face twisted with anger.

"You..." That was when the light coming from Sepo dimmed... And vanished.

"IVYYYY!"

* * *

***Author's Note* AHHHHHHHHHH! HOW could I have taken so long to update? I feel... Horrible... And yeah... Sorry about that. **

**Not much to say other than- OH NOS! SEPO! This, quite simply spells doom for... everyone. And what was in Seth's bag? What was moving around? Or even better... Was there anything in there at all? **

**The collaboration point grows ever closer... Be prepared... **

**And thanks to _Cyberwolf101_ for making me realize how long its been since I updated. Hope you guys aren't losing interest... **

**Reviews are always appreciated~**


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